Footsteps
by RainingSunshineEverywhere
Summary: Say hello to Flint Lockwood, who has agreed to tell his childhood story. Everything starts from the spray-on shoes and ends at the FLDSMDFR. His childhood is filled with secrets and things that he has never imagined. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: RCT and threats

**FLINT'S POV**

Maybe if you met me in person you would be the one asking a bunch of questions. I would happily answer each one, but nothing about the death of my mother or my childhood. I'd answer why I had built the FLDSMDFR and maybe even tell you about Steve; my pet monkey. You might ask why I ended up being who I am. Well, that's my mother's side and how she once told me to believe in myself. All her years, she had encouraged me to do great and keep on trying. But by the look on your face, I will surrender and tell you about my childhood. Yes I will. When I'm done, NO QUESTIONS! Get that? Fine, I'll maybe answer a few…

Well anyway I'm gonna start. It's my life story up until the point I came up with the FLDSMDFR. If you don't want to hear, I think you should. You will learn secrets about me, my parents, Brent, the Mayor (do I seriously have to include him?), Earl, Steve and somewhere we will find out about Sam. Knew much about her? No? I thought so. Here we go…

xxx

That day when everyone at school laughed at my spray-on shoes, I ran home in tears. Of course after my mother explained that it was okay and I had to believe in myself, I ran to my miniature lab to construct another invention. My lab was tiny and only fit me, a table and a box filled with scrap metal and tools. The lab was like my treehouse. The tree under the lab was still young, but as it will grow I planned to make my lab bigger.

All night I sat with a sheet of paper and pencil in my fist. It was hard to think of anything. But after coming up with a brilliant idea, I sketched it out and began constructing my idea. Somewhere in the middle of the night, I snuck back into the house and stole out TV. I was so determined to get it all finished, that I didn't realize I had fallen asleep. It was only the next morning; I realized I had fallen asleep. A screwdriver was still gripped in my hand and my head was lying on the table. Drool was all over the tabletop. Thank goodness it was Saturday. A full day of new adventures and finishing the invention.

"FLINT LOCKWOOD! BREAKFAST!" my mother hollered from the kitchen window. I got up, and scrambled down the ladder. While hurrying to the kitchen, the hem of my too-big lab coat caught on a corner and I fell face first to the floor. Shrugging of the pain, I got up, lifted the bottom of my lab coat so I didn't fall anymore.

The kitchen was warm and toasty. My dad sat at the head of the table sipping his coffee and reading the _Swallow Falls Weekly_, while mom was making toast. I sat down beside my dad and peered at the newspaper.

"Dad, why is the point of a newspaper if adults gossip all the time." I asked and my dad lowered the newspaper. My mom put a plate with toast and handed me the butter. Swallow Falls didn't have much a variety of food. It was mostly sardines. Neighboring countries sometimes sent us bread, butter and the rarest was apples. Apples were very expensive when they did come in. We couldn't afford them, so I never tried an apple in my life. Down the street, Brent said he tried apples loads of times. I didn't blame him. He was rich and trailed after the mayor like a puppy.

"So people know things that other people don't know." Dad sighed and sipped his coffee. I nodded and spread butter all over my toast.

"What were you doing in your lab all night?" my mom smiled and sat across from me. She too, drank coffee. That was something else to ask. Why did adults drink coffee?

"I have a new invention ready!" I grinned and my mom beamed.

"You here that, Tim? Another invention!" my mom told dad. He nodded and sipped his coffee. I instantly wondered if I will read the newspaper and drink coffee when I was older. But I knew I wasn't. Someday I will live in a great lab and inventions that will change the world.

"I'll go set it up in the living room!" I abandoned my toast and ran outside through the back door. My mom nodded and put her coffee down with a slam, when I left. She leaned in and squinted at the headline on the newspaper. Tim lowered the newspaper and showed Fran. She gasped and looked down at the picture that came with the article. It was a blurred picture of someone running. You couldn't exactly tell.

"Robbery! But who, Tim? I know no one in Swallow Falls who is so thick! Who would rob the clothing store?" Fran Lockwood furrowed her eyebrows.

"There was also an order left on the countertop. The robber asked for the store to sell darker clothing. In particular—dark blue. I don't know anyone who wears dark blue, except for jeans of course." Tim whispered in case I heard.

"Dark blue is a nice color! My favorite sweater is dark blue!" Fran threw her hands helplessly into the air and then left the room. She had gone to find a camera to film me while I presented my invention. But when she reached the living room, I sat on the couch. She set up the video camera and called dad. Then she positioned herself behind the camera and dad sat down on the couch. I sprang up and stood between the couch and the TV on the table. The TV _was_ my invention. Sort of.

"When you see the recording light, say the name of your invention." Mom leaned in and pressed the recording button. I gave a nervous smile.

"Remote Control Television!" I kept a nervous smile and held out my remote. I pressed the power button and the TV stood up on the table—on two legs. It climbed down and approached my dad; who watched with a worried expression. He turned the TV on, and the screen flashed. But then the TV shook and I think a circuit snapped, because before I knew it the TV shook, ran to the front door behind it and slammed it open. Still smiling nervously, I turned halfway to the doorway and kept pressing the off button on the remote.

Outside, I heard screams and saw people running away. My mom turned the camera off and my dad sat there looking into the doorway. I gripped the remote, and ran out the doorway after my invention.

"Stop! Stop! Stop, please!" I cried and chased after the TV down the street and onto Main Street. People moved out of the way and some found it hilarious to see me running after a runaway TV. I waved my arms, but quickly held them at my sides, to hold my lab coat. If I fell at a time like this, people would never stop laughing. The TV stopped at one point and I ran after, letting one hand click the off button on the remote. But the TV heard my clicking and once again and raced off even faster.

"Stop, you stupid thing!" I wailed and now didn't care if I fell or not. I let go of my lab coat and waved my hands in the air as I ran. I didn't even see where I was running, because before I knew it, I crashed into someone and fell on the ground. They didn't fall. They just stood there with their hands planted on their hips. Slowly, I sat up and looked up at the towering person. It was the Mayor.

"Oh! I'm sorry sir!" I apologized and hoped I didn't hurt him.

"You should be watching where you're going." He snapped coldly and I didn't understand why he was so angry. But then he was the Mayor, so I guess it wasn't a good sign when you crossed his path like that.

"I couldn't see sir. My invention was running away." I pointed behind him. He spun around and we both saw the TV running in the distance. His eyes lit up, and I wondered if he was proud. But when he turned back around it wasn't pride in his eyes.

"You better keep your inventions away from the rest of the town. You're disturbing other people. If your inventions don't work, then don't even bother inventing. I can already tell that your next ones won't work either. If you keep it up, people will dislike you more and more and don't even think about anyone taking you into jobs, in the future." The Mayor replied coldly.

I shrunk back and felt like I had been slapped in the face. No one ever said anything so mean to me. The meanest anything anyone ever said to me, came from Brent. Even his comments weren't so mean.

"Shelbourne!" came a sharp voice from behind me. I turned around and saw my parents standing there. Both had angered expressions. The Mayor was taken back. No one ever called him by his last name. But he tried not to look surprised. Slowly he straightened up.

"Mr. and Ms. Lockwood." He replied and raised his chin.

"How dare you insult my son in that way?" my mother dug her fists into her hips and she looked ready to explode. She glared at the Mayor in such a way, that anyone would be scared. As she spoke through clenched teeth, I knew she was about to blow her top any second. The Mayor leveled her glare and said nothing.

"If I ever hear that again, I will get you. You will regret you ever lived, Shelbourne. GET IT? MY SON IS TRYING HIS HARDEST! THINK YOU HAVE A PROPER JOB? HUH? WHAT DID YOU DO THAT LANDED YOU IN THIS POSITION?" my mom now shouted at the Mayor. People in the street stopped to look at my mother. Many grinned and nodded, as if to agree with her. Others shook their heads. The Mayor had the coldest look in his eyes. He looked ready to strangle my mom. No one had ever spoken to him like that. Suddenly, I forgot all about my Remote Control Television and stood up. Quietly I tugged on my mom's shirt. She looked down at me and I saw tears formed in her eyes.

Then she gently took my hand and we turned away and began to head home. I also took my dad's hand and felt protected. As we left, the Mayor stood there fuming. Some people from the crowd cheered. Ignoring the cheers, the Mayor turned on his heel and headed back to City Hall, muttering under his breath.

We returned home and I instantly scampered off to my lab. Who cared what the Mayor said? I will just have to try harder. One of these days, I will invent something that won't run or explode or anything like that. I looked down at my spray-on shoes. See? I didn't even feel them anymore! Though my toes were getting itchy…


	2. Chapter 2: The SitDown and other

Monday came soon. The rest of my weekend was nothing. Just one big flop. All I did was lie on my back and stare at the cloudy grey sky. Boring, boring, boring. My mind was asleep and it hurt when I thought about anything. The Mayor's words stuck to me like my spray-on shoes. They refused to get off me. Every time I thought about going off again to look for the TV, I just groaned and pushed it away. What if the Mayor was right? Adults never lie. At least all the adults I know. So on Monday, I stepped into my 2nd grade class. Everyone was walking in behind me. I hung my backpack on my chair and went over where the rest of the class stood. It was around Brent's desk. Quickly I glanced around the class and saw that the teacher wasn't here, and then hurried over to Brent's desk too.

"Guess what happened this weekend?" Brent leaned back in his chair. The class leaned in to hear. I was at the back of the crowd, but if I stood taller, I saw Brent too.

"What?" half the class asked in a whisper.

"A robbery." Brent grinned and a gasp rippled through the crowd of curious 2nd graders. I leaned in closer. A robbery? There were no criminals in Swallow Falls. But I knew that a crime could spring up any time, since we had no police in Swallow Falls.

Back then Earl (who was a police officer in the future) wasn't an officer. He lived next door to the Lockwood's, not yet married. He had moved in from New York and had settled here, because of the peacefulness of the sleepy town.

"And I'm allowed to go to the Sit-Down at City Hall today afternoon." Brent boasted and the class gasped. Children were normally not allowed to Sit-Downs. I couldn't see how Brent was allowed to go to this one, if it was about the robbery. Maybe I could sneak afterschool into the City Hall and watch too. Dad and Mom were both at work anyway. But I imagined if they found out that I had gone. Maybe I could tell them, I was just chasing my Remote Control TV.

"Class, get into your seats!" our teacher walked in and closed the door behind her. Instantly the class hurried to their seats. I trudged to the back of the classroom and took my seat. While the teacher talked, I pulled out a blank sheet of paper and began to doodle ideas for more inventions. There were many. One was a substance that made hair grow. I smiled at the idea. But then I frowned when I remembered what had happened when the last time I worked with chemicals. The result: well I just had to look at my feet…

Afterschool as class dismissed, I snatched up my backpack and hurried outside. Today had been one of my best days. No one said anything about my lab coat and no one mentioned my Remote Control TV. The school yard was filled with parents come to pick up the 1st and 2nd graders. The rest of the grades just left. I watched Brent run over to his parents and tell them something excitedly. Smiling to myself, I began toward the gates, when I heard someone call my name. I turned around and saw a girl run up to me.

"Flint, are you going to the Sit-Down?" she asked and looked at me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Can you please go? The rest of the class wants to know what will happen! Brent said he won't tell us tomorrow because it's Top Secret!" the girl widened her eyes and glanced around to make sure Brent wasn't around to hear them.

"Uh… okay." I stammered and began to the front gates of the school. She smiled and ran off. I was sure Brent was to tell everyone about the Sit-Down anyway. He would just to get attention.

Our school was a right in the main part of the town. I just had to exit the school, turn left on the street and I'd be on Main Street. From there, I had to walk down to the end of Main Street and City Hall would be there. It was a large white building. It looked sort of like a miniature version of the White House, except had a dome like roof and was ten times smaller. The double oak doors were slightly ajar, but I managed to slip inside. The polished floor was gleaming and so was everything else. A crowd of people were heading inside a large room, and I figured this was the Sit-Down. The inside of the room had a long table with a lot of chairs around it. It was enough to fit the whole town.

The Mayor sat at the head of the table. Townsfolk scrambled into chairs around the table. I spotted Brent sitting into a chair and then turning to look at the Mayor. Quickly, I clambered into a chair too and turned to glance at the rest of the people seated at the table. Somewhere up front I saw my dad. Gulping, I froze and sat lower in my seat.

"We are here to discuss a robbery at a local clothing store. And a shooting that took place today. " A man wearing a police hat and suit replied from the other head of the table. I watched the police with an open jaw. A shooting too? Today? When? Was anyone shot? I then noticed that the badge on the officer's hat read _New York State Police_. I hoped we got a police force soon. It seemed strange that the states were doing the work for us.

"The robbery first. Who has the information?" the police asked in a steel voice.

"I do," a small man replied from the other end of the table. I instantly recognized him as the clothing store owner, "The robbery took place on Friday night at 1:00am. The cashier was smashed open and a box of different colored fabric was stolen. Then there was a note taped to the cashier that the store should sell darker clothing. Dark blue in particular."

"Did you check the security cameras in the store?" the police officer asked and narrowed his eyes.

"I don't have security cameras in my store. But the newspaper photographer got a picture of the man running off." The owner frowned.

"You say it was a man?" the police leaned forward in his seat.

"Yes. The photographer told me." The owner gulped.

"What were you doing at the time, sir?" the police asked and began to write some points down in a notebook.

"I was sitting in the coffee shop talking to the Mayor. When I returned the shop was how I had described it." The owner nodded. The police sighed in frustration and said that he'll take a look at the shop after. Then he opened to a new sheet in the notebook.

"Now about the shooting. Who was shot? Are they alive? When? Where?" the police took his hat off and fanned himself with it. The Mayor shifted in his seat uncomfortably and looked down at his lap. After a few silent minutes, he raised his head and began to speak.

"The shooting was today at noon at the sardine factory." The Mayor told the police. I looked over at the Mayor and realized he didn't answer one of the questions. Who was shot? The police noticed this too. He raised his head and tapped his pen impatiently on the tabletop.

"Fran Lockwood was shot. She's recovering. She'll be okay." The Mayor said in a strange voice. I almost fell out of my chair. Mom? MOM WAS SHOT? Fear gripped me. My dad was holding on to the table and his face was growing pale. The rest of the table was looking just as awestruck. My mom was one of the nicest people in Swallow Falls. I couldn't see who would harm her. Thank god she was okay. I hoped. Slowly I glanced at the Mayor. He saw me sitting there and his eyes widened. I expected him to give me away and tell everyone I was here. But he kept quiet. His eyes had a strange glint to them. I felt scared and his old words were tumbling down on me.

"Well, I'll look into that too." The police nodded and slowly got up. Everyone else got and began to leave the room too. I slipped out of my seat and quickly ran out of the room. I had to get home. As I squeezed through the crowd and out the double oak doors, I heard someone call my name. Wincing, I spun around to see Brent standing there with his hands deep in his pockets. His parents weren't around.

"So your mom was shot?" he nodded and came up beside me. I froze and wondered why he was being nice to me.

"They said she's okay." I pointed out and Brent nodded. Then he realized he was standing next to me and his eyes darkened.

"Is it true there's a _television_ running loose in town? Seriously Flint?" Brent then looked at me as if I was some kind of bug. And he was about to crush me.

"Yeah?" I coughed and it sounded more like a question. Brent snorted and then trudged back to the City Hall doors to find his parents. I watched him go before I sprinted down the street and back home. Our town didn't have a hospital. We had to come to the doctor's own house. Half of his house was like a clinic and the other half was where he lived.

I had gone there once when I broke my leg. It was horrible. I was in kindergarten and had just finished making my lab. I was really curious back then and wanted to know why people couldn't fly. So I did research and finally constructed a pair of wings made from metal rods and feathers from my pillow. I remember standing on the ledge of my lab and looking down to the ground. Then I jumped. You could pretty much tell what happened, because soon I was lying on the ground with my leg twisted in an awkward angle.

But I imagined my mom, and ran home faster. She was probably home. I could tell. When I reached my house, I ran around the house and through the back door. In the living room, she lay on the couch with a cloth on her forehead.

"Hi sweetie!" she smiled and watched me approach her. I came up to her. She wasn't bleeding anywhere or wounded. Just a wet cloth on her forehead.

"What happened?" was all I managed to ask. Slowly I sat down on the floor.

"I'm not sure. All I remember was someone screaming for me to duck and I just kind of passed out." She looked down at me and sighed. It was a tired sigh. The kind that meant she didn't want to talk anymore. I got up and watched her fall asleep. I took my lab coat off and gently draped it over her. Then I went to my room. I sat at my desk and pulled out my paper with my invention ideas. What else could I come up with? Something bright. Something extraordinary. Something completely insane and completely…me.

"I'll show that Mayor. I built the greatest inventions ever built." I smiled to myself and began to sketch out different ideas. But at one point my mind began to wander to the robbery and the shooting. Who had done it? The robbery was an interesting one. The owner was drinking coffee with the Mayor and then comes back to find the shop in ruins and the cashier busted open. I had thought that maybe the Mayor had done something with it. If anyone (but me) noticed he wore A LOT of dark blue.

But he was drinking coffee with the shop owner. My 2nd grader mind wasn't strong enough for these types of problems. The shooting? That was something else entirely. No one knew anything about it. I yawned and then went over to my bed. Dinner would be soon, but a nap wouldn't be bad. I curled up in my bed, clutching my paper tightly in my hand.

Whatever came tomorrow would be a mystery. Every day was one.

**The next chapter will most likely be 4 years later. But I will start off with 2****nd**** grade Flint and move on to 6****th**** grade Flint. Here things are tighter and more explained. Still think the Mayor was part of the robbery? You thought wrong. Well… Maybe he kinda was…He does have to do with other things, but there a new suspect. They are not a made up character. All straight out of the movie...**


	3. Chapter 3: Noises and Hair Unbalder

Nothing had really happened from the span of 2nd grade to 6th grade. Only one exciting thing happened. It was really weird actually. Like the type of weird that it was just plain strange. As if someone took the world and turned everything upside-down. Swallow Falls changed a lot one week after the shooting/robbery Sit-down.

First of all I had changed. I didn't feel like inventing anything. It was the fear building inside me, that my next invention will either explode or I will burn the house down. I even went to buy myself a fire extinguisher and nailed it to the wall of my room. Now I had no money because I bought the useless fire extinguisher. That was one thing. I had also rolled up my invention ideas sheet and stuck it under my mattress. Another thing that changed was that everyone had instantly forgotten about the shooting. My mom hadn't gone to work for a whole week, until some of her friends forced her out of the house. The robbery wasn't easily forgotten.

The police had positioned themselves in our streets and went around seeing who wore the most dark clothing. This was what the list looked like: (it's not in order)

_Mayor Shelbourne_

_Earl Devereaux_

_Old lady who hardly ever comes out of her house_

_Fran Lockwood_

The reason my mom was on the list, was because our washer broke, the washers at the Laundromat broke too. All her normal clothes got dirty, and since she couldn't wash them, she had to wear what she called 'her favorite sweater'. The dark blue one. She was trying her best not to get it dirty because she had nothing to wear until the guy came in to fix our washer. Normally she'd ask me to fix something, but this time she just shook her head. Well, the police had seen her wear the dark blue sweater a lot and finally asked to see the inside of her closet. They saw a bunch of colorful dresses and a laundry basket filled with bright (but dirty) clothes. So they crossed her name out.

Earl was a whole different story. No one knew what was up with him. He lived all alone and had no job. His job was to help people around. He helped people around the town by doing small jobs. Then he got paid small amounts and used the money to pay his bills. No one knew what he did in his house. But most of the time, he'd sit on the front steps of City Hall with his jean jacket collar hiding his frowning face and smoked. People said to not pay attention to him.

The Mayor was one terrible mess. One big mess. People started to ignore him and they could tell he was going bankrupt. His sardine company wasn't going so well. Everyone started to hate sardines, but he came right in. He wrote a book of sardine recipes and got it published. People tried out the recipes and sardines were liked again. But after someone was poisoned, no one bought the stupid book. He was losing great amounts of money.

The scariest thing that happened was one warm spring night. The town was quiet. The streetlamps were off and no one was in the streets. Then everyone was awakened with a great big sound that sounded like either a big gunshot or an explosion. In the morning, the town was the way everyone left it. Nothing was damaged.

"Someone just probably tried warming up food in an un-microwavable plastic container again. The plastic explodes and sounds like gunshot." My mom told me the next day at breakfast.

"Mom! It wasn't that! It had to be something else! Everyone in the town heard it!" I stood up in my chair and waved my spoon in the air.

"Flint, sit down. Don't worry." My dad replied behind his newspaper. The loud noise seemed to trigger something in the town, because at school things had gotten bizarre. At lunch, Brent came up and sat down beside me. Instantly the cafeteria became quiet and kids turned around to look. I gulped. The usual taunts would hit me any moment. Brent had never sat down beside me. Maybe it was tease me more.

But he opened his lunchbox and everyone peeked over. There was a miserable sardine sandwich sitting there. No apple. Brent brought an apple to school to everyday. But he looked down at the sandwich. Then he looked over at me and my same sandwich. Kids held their breath.

"Be careful, Flint." Brent replied and his lip trembled and a single tear rolled out of his eye. Then he took his lunchbox and left the cafeteria. Three hundred pairs of eyes watched him leave. Then they all turned to me. I looked down at my own sandwich and began to eat. The room filled with whispers. That day after school, when I stepped into the schoolyard, I saw Brent walking home alone, dragging his backpack behind him. He looked small and helpless. The loud sound that night HAD to do with Brent. I knew it.

Swallow Falls was changing in ways no one thought it would…

xxx

Now four years later, when I thought back to that weird week it was all stranger. The police had given up and no one found out who committed the robbery. Or the shooting. But they seemed like they had gotten something. The police had shortened their list and refused to show anyone. In these four years that passed, more minor crimes happened (more robberies, weird sounds, and someone burned down one of the docks). The police stayed in our town and wanted to get to the bottom of it all.

But today was a beautiful summer day and I refused to think about any of it. Right now I lay on the ground in my backyard, looking up at the partly blue sky. 6th Grade had come to an end last week and I had July and August to relax and enjoy the days of summer. 7th grade was still far away.

"FLINT LOCKWOOD!" my mother cried out and I sat up.

"WHAT MOM?" I hollered back.

"COME HERE!" she shouted back. I jumped to my feet and dashed into the house. I entered the house through the back door and saw my mom standing in the kitchen holding a wooden spoon. A delicious smell wafted from a pot on the stove. Last week, our town got a small shipping of different food. Everyone saved up money and the supermarket was empty in seconds. It was refilled with sardines. Mom had worked hard and saved up a fortune. She bought everything that wasn't sardines in the store and brought home three huge bags. The Mayor had lost a great deal of money because people didn't buy his sardines that week, because of the food. He asked for the shipping company to never send food again. Not even apples.

"Who ate the package of saltine crackers?" she waved the spoon at me.

"Dad." I told her and hoped she didn't ask about the cookies. I ate all those last night in my lab. I had retrieved the invention idea sheet from under my mattress and was thinking on working on one.

"Who ate the cookies?" she asked suddenly and planted her hands on her hips.

"Uh… Me?" I grinned weakly and said it like it was a question.

"FLINT LOCKWOOD! I TOLD YOU TEN MILLION TIMES NOT TO TOUCH THE COOKIES!" my mom shouted and ran after me waving the wooden spoon. I turned around the corner and saw dad reading the newspaper there. My mom ran into the room, and then froze with the spoon in mid-air when she saw my dad. He looked at the spoon and raised his eyebrow.

"J-just doing exercise!" she stammered and left back into the kitchen. But waved the spoon warningly at me as she left. Dad and I exploded with laughter when she was out of earshot.

"You ate the cookies?" dad chuckled.

"Yep. But mom will put a lock on the cupboard." I laughed.

"Already did. I know where the key is." My dad's mouth twitched into a smile. I looked at him and knew too.

"The laundry basket." We said at the same time and laughed again. I was happy that our town was shipped all that food. I wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. Stupid Mayor. I wondered why he couldn't have a food company. That would be cool. I thought about other food out there. Then I had an idea for an invention. A really good idea. Nah, it was stupid. I shifted the idea to the back of my mind and then left the room, to go to my lab.

The tree that supported my lab had grown a lot since four years ago. I was also making my lab bigger. I even had to construct a taller ladder to lean against the door to get into the lab. But I also realized that the tree would continue growing, and the ladder would start getting small. Maybe I should build an elevator to get into the lab. That would be awesome!

I began to climb the ladder, when I heard someone call my name. It was Earl. Quickly, I climbed back down and ran over to the fence we shared. Earl was the quietest neighbor we ever had. On the other side of our house were some noisy kids. He had become engaged and now wasn't so depressed as before. He had also quit smoking and wore brighter colors.

"Do you own a lawnmower?" Earl asked when I came to the fence.

"Uh… You'll have to ask dad." I told him and looked over at his backyard. The grass was really tall. He had NEVER mowed it once since he moved into the house. Probably was mowing it because he actually had someone living with him. He nodded and said he'll ask later. After, he disappeared back into his house; I scampered up the ladder to my lab again and entered my lab. The inside of the lab was looking much better too. I had added and computer with many screens at one side and the walls had buttons all over. But it was still pretty small.

At the small table, was a bottle filled with my latest invention: The Hair Un-Balder. Yep, I was once again working with chemicals. Now I had to test it. On my dad who was partly bald…

Mom set up the video camera and dad sat down on the kitchen stool. I held the bottle in my hand and grinned at the camera. The light beeped.

"Hair Un-Balder!" I grinned and wished nothing will happen. I turned the bottle over and squeezed some cream on dad's bald spot. There was a quick minute, then… POOF! Not only dad's head, but his WHOLE head was covered in hair. I turned to look at him and screamed. Dad screamed too. So much for invention #3!


	4. Chapter 4: Sam and the Surprise

Never had I felt so defeated in my life. My THIRD invention was a fail. Just like the two before it. When dad and I finally calmed down, mom began to laugh. She turned the camera off and just started laughing. Dad sat there horrified and asked my mom for a mirror. She shook her head and left the room. Instead she came back with an electrical shaver. I watched as she came over to dad and began to shave off all the extra hair. My stomach sank. What if my next invention did something worse?

"Flint, don't worry. You're only 12 years old! No one expects you to do big things. I'm sure as you grow, you'll be better." My mom seemed to read my mind. I turned to her and nodded. When she finished with my dad, he touched his face and smiled. Then he smiled at me and left the room. I watched him go. My mom grabbed the broom and began to sweep up the hair from the ground.

"Mom? What if I never manage to invent anything that'll work?" I scrambled up onto the kitchen stool as she swept around the stool.

"Flint! I have faith in you, and you should faith in yourself too. Do you think your father caught a fish on his few first times? No! But he kept on trying and didn't lose hope and faith. A person without hope and faith is no one. They become cold-hearted and only want bad for others. When you lose hope, you lose yourself. Just believe that you'll do it." She smiled and finished sweeping the last of the hair into a dustpan.

I sighed and watched my mom closely. She sighed and then said she was going to go for a walk around town. I nodded and decided that maybe I could go too. Jumping of the stool, I ran after my mom out the front door.

"I'm going to go to visit Mrs. McHale for some tea." My mom told me and went down the street. It was strange how Brent and I couldn't stand each other, but our mothers were best friends. Our dads hated each other too. Maybe because my dad was a better fisherman then Brent's dad.

"Okay, mom." I nodded and headed to the direction of Main Street. Today Main Street was full of people. Usually on boiling hot summer days, people stayed indoors under the air conditioners. But today everyone was marching about. I saw Earl and his girlfriend walking down the sidewalk hand in hand. I saw Brent running down the street with a kite. Some other kids from class were either just following Brent with kites of their own or spraying each other with water. I wanted to join the kids badly, but I didn't own a kite. Those things were shipped from the states and were really expensive. Maybe if I made one… Hmmm… But something would just go wrong.

Soon the heat got the best of me, and I took my lab coat off and slung it over my shoulder. I wore a lime green shirt under.

"Hello, Flint Lockwood!" came a low, but excited voice. I spun around to find the Mayor waving at me. Oh great. He came up to me and I wished I could just leave. He was probably going to ask me for some money-making idea to sell his sardines. Like I cared. Or maybe he was going to ask me to construct some sardine making machine. Ha! I'd love to see that explode at him.

"Hello." I muttered and he approached me and stood right next to me, also watching Brent and the other kids.

"Did you hear about the news?" he grinned and looked over at me. It was weird how I was as tall as the Mayor. But he wasn't exactly the tallest either.

"What news?" I asked and he raised his eyebrows.

"_You _don't know?" he gasped and I took a step back.

"Uh… No. Maybe because no one told me?" I looked away. The Mayor noticed the sourness in my voice and turned away with a big sigh.

"Well, we are having a small group of students from New York come visit. They are all in summer school and want to know more about our town, because no one knows about it. They are all in 6th and 7th grade. They arrive at noon." The Mayor replied excitedly.

"Sir? It is noon." I glanced at the Mayor and saw a look of worry pass through his eyes. He looked down at his watch and then ran off to inform the rest of the town. When he left, I wondered who would want to know about our town. We were a poor town with only one thing to eat. Then I thought about summer school. I had never really understood it. Did kids go there, because they failed a class, or because they wanted extra work? Anyway, it was interesting to see new people.

Since the students could only be coming by boat, I hurried to the docks.

xxx

**Sam Sparks' POV (for a short time only)**

"Ooh! Sam look!" my best friend; Gwen, pointed to a small island in the ocean coming closer and closer. I leaned over the railing and squinted my eyes. Last year, I had gotten a new look: got a haircut and got rid of my glasses. My vision was still good, but things far away were a big blur. Mom said that if I kept on squinting, soon things close by will be blurry too. Whatever. I'll just get contact lens when we get back to NYC.

But I was interested to see Swallow Falls. It was the only exciting thing that happened in summer school so far. My parents were the ones who placed me in summer school. But only for Geography. I had gotten all 'A''s in Geo last year, so there really wasn't any point to take it again. Mom said I should if I wanted to be a Meteorologist or a Weather reporter, then I had to know my geography well. I didn't understand why. Besides, I just finished 6th grade! I will probably change my mind by the time I graduate from high school!

"If only we could stay there for the night." Gwen sighed beside me.

"Aren't we? The teachers said we are." I told her and watched the boat get closer and closer to the island. I looked up at the sky. Here the sky was a beautiful blue and… wait. Were those _grey _clouds? That was weird. A light blue sky usually had white clouds. Here, there are grey ones. I would be cool to do a weather report for this town. I imagined being a weather girl and standing under that weird sky telling about the weather. I was coming here first thing when I became a weather girl.

"We are! Yes!" Gwen jumped up and the boat came to the docks of Swallow Falls.

"Class, keep together!" our teacher; Mr. Tazel hollered over everyone's excited voices. We opened the door and a ramp appeared at the side of the boat and we all went down it. Gwen and I were among the first to stand on the docks of Swallow Falls. Then Mr. Tazel led us down the dock and onto the land. A man about my height greeted us. I saw him well. He wore a dark blue suit (in this heat?), dark blue pants, a really bright red tie and had one of those toothpaste commercial smiles. His brown hair was sleek back and he had this big grayish-blue eyes.

"Hello, I'm Mayor Shelbourne of Swallow Falls! Welcome to our town! Follow me, and I'll lead you to the motel, where you'll spend the night. After you can explore the town." He grinned his wide smile at us and then led us on. I quickly glanced around before we were led away. The people here were just like us and I smiled when I saw some kids my age run around with kites. One boy my age wore a lime green shirt. I glanced at him and smiled. He nervously smiled back. He seemed nice. I got one last look at him, before Gwen dragged me away…

xxx

**Flint's POV. (sorry, I won't switch anymore!)**

A girl with golden colored hair smiled at me and I felt myself blushing as she left. Maybe I could talk to her later, but I was too nervous. But as I watched them go, I wondered how long will they stay for. Maybe a long time? Maybe only for a day? I just hoped to see her again. It was rare when people my age smiled at me. But she was probably here to do work, and not get distracted. Maybe I was getting distracted. What was I here for anyway? Nothing. Shrugging, I began back home.

But then saw those New York Police running somewhere. They seemed in a hurry. Curiously, I ran after them. As I ran after them, I saw the summer school group again. Don't get distracted! I told myself and tried to pick out the girl out of the crowd. She was somewhere in the middle of the crowd, so I couldn't see her. Shaking my head, I continued running after the police. They were running onto my street. Now I forgot all about the girl, and hoped nothing was wrong with mom or dad.

But they ran passed my house, and relief washed over me. Then I remembered that my mom was at Mrs. McHale's house. My heart got trapped in my throat when that was where the police ran. There was my mom, lying on the driveway. Fear clenched at me and I ran faster. Was she dead? No she wasn't. Mom raised her head and I saw that she was sobbing hysterically. The police ran over and I came up behind them.

"Flint!" she wailed and the officers turned around to see me standing behind them.

"Do you know her?" one officer asked me.

"She's my mother!" I snapped and then came and knelt down beside my sobbing mother. She had the wildest look in her eyes.

"The loud noises that night a few years ago. You were right. They were gunshots." My mom glanced at me and her eyes widened. The police froze and knelt down too, to listen.

"I came into the house and it was dead silent," she replied and more tears streaked down her face as she began to tell me and police what happened, "the door was open and the house was very cold. I called for Mrs. McHale, Mr. McHale or even Brent. No one answered. So I came into the living room and s-saw…" my mom burst into fresh tears and shook as she wailed. I took her hand and squeezed it. The police were watching her closely.

"…and there they were. Mrs. and Mr. McHale. On the floor of the living room. They were dead! DEAD! Their bodies were cold and blood was everywhere on the furniture! There was a note beside them, saying when they were killed. It was that night of the loud noises!" my mom cried and the police instantly hopped to their feet and ran into the house.

I sat down beside my mom. Her cries echoed through the street. Now I understand why Brent was so upset that day back in 2nd grade. His parents had been killed. Slaughtered. Murdered. Now I actually felt bad for him. But who could have done such a horrible thing? The McHale's were kind to everyone and made great contributions to Swallow Falls.

The police came out of the house and knelt down beside us. One was pale and refused to say anything. The other put a hand on my mom's shoulder and she glanced up at him.

"We'll figure it out." He whispered. My mom wiped away her tears and nodded. I helped her to her feet and got up myself. Maybe who had murdered the McHales also robbed the clothing store and almost shot my mom that day. Gulping, I wondered if that girl ever had to go through things like this in her life. Seeing people suffer before your eyes.


	5. Chapter 5: Sam, SitDown, Stars, & Sirens

The summer school students had sent the rest of their day looking around town. I was hoping to see the girl again, but I was forced to come to a Sit-Down. Back then when I was in 2nd grade, the Sit-Down sounded cool, but now I knew what to expect. The City Hall Meeting room had the following people in the room: me, my mother, the two police, Mayor Shelbourne, Earl (without his girlfriend), and a few people who knew the McHale's really well. Brent wasn't told that his parents were discovered, but he probably already knew. The police began the Sit-Down by saying what they found in the living room.

People listened and some were crying quietly into handkerchiefs. The police then said that there were no fingerprints anywhere, or any evidence of who the killer could have been. The killer was smart enough to wipe all the evidence away. Then the police rambled on about details and the room was even stiller than before. Until a loud sob interrupted the police officer's words. It was Earl. No one understood why. He barely knew the McHales. One of the officers shot him an angry glare for interrupting. Earl blow his nose loudly into a tissue.

"I'm so sorry! But it was me back then!" Earl wailed and everyone leaned in their seats to glance at him. The police narrowed his eyes at him.

"What do you mean?" the other officer asked and Earl stopped crying and clutched his tissue harder, that it almost ripped.

"Someone forced me, sir!" Earl began to sob again.

"Forced you to do what?" the other officer blinked.

"To rob the clothing store. It was me!" Earl looked at the officers long and hard.

"W-what about almost shooting Fran Lockwood and killing the McHale's?" the officers both stammered.

"No! Not me, I swear, sir! But someone forced me to rob the store!" Earl replied in a trembling voice. I watched him and he looked my way. A look of worry flashed through his eyes. Knowing Earl for a long time, I knew that he'd never pick a gun up in his life. The police had to believe him.

"Who forced you, Earl?" one of the officers asked quietly. A look of fear passed through Earl's eyes and his eyes darted nervously around the room. Then he gave up and looked down at his lap.

"I can't say. If I say, I end up dead the next day." Earl told the police and looked up again. The police frowned and one whispered something to the other. Both nodded then both got to their feet.

"This Sit-Down is over. We need to talk to Earl." One officer told everyone at the table. People got up, shaking their heads in disbelief. That was the shortest Sit-Down in the history of Swallow Falls. I got to my feet and my mom got up after me. She gripped my arm as we left the room. I could feel that she was shaking too. She must be still shocked of what she saw in the living room. Even when we stepped outside into the warm sunlight, mom was still shivering.

"I'm gonna go home and rest a bit. Can I take your lab coat to throw in the wash?" she asked and let go of my arm. Nodding, I took my lab coat off and handed it to her. She folded it and I watched her patter back home. Instead of heading that way, I headed back to Main Street.

The news about the McHales was all around town, when I reached Main Street. As you walked that was what the adults whispered about. I was still wondering what was up with those two police officers. They didn't really react when Earl said he'd be killed if he said who forced him to rob the clothing store. Then the robbery and the time when someone almost shot my mom. They waited FOUR years and only figured it out now. Police were supposed to figure things when they happened.

The summer school students were playing some kind of game with the kids of Swallow Falls. I watched as some of the summer school students were blindfolded with a black cloth and stumbled around. Where they playing blind tag? I loved that game! I played it back in kindergarten, when no one made fun of me and everyone was my friend. But it looked like something else. There was more than one person blindfolded. Then I saw the girl who smiled at me earlier. She was one of the blindfolded ones.

I stood in the sidelines and watched with my hands deep in the pockets of my jeans. Someone shouted something out and the blindfolded people turned around and headed a different direction. Since the girl didn't see where she was going, her foot got stuck on a rock on the ground and she was tripping forward, with the blindfold still on.

"AAAHHH!" she cried out and waved her arms as she tried to keep her balance, but she couldn't and was falling. Gasping, I ran over and caught her in my arms before she could smash her face on the concrete. Then I helped her back to her feet.

"Thanks." She smiled and slowly began to remove her blindfold. Maybe when I'm an adult and actually remember this memory, I understand why Sam didn't recognize me when she saw me as a weather intern, ten years later. She didn't realize that she had met me when we were twelve year olds. But I didn't know either, until later. When I caught her and she removed her blindfold, to get a good look at me, I was different compared to ten years later (when we meet again). First of all I wasn't wearing my lab coat (remember mom took it to wash), my hair was matted down from my sweat (the blazing heat), and well my face was younger and still childish looking (well duh! I was still 12 years old).

"You're welcome." I beamed and she quickly got up from my arms and turned red with embarrassment. Then she took one more look at me and slipped her blindfold back on. I smiled and stayed to watch the rest of the game. That was what made my day even better and to make up for what happened earlier. I wished the summer school students could stay longer, but they were to leave tomorrow morning. Today I had smiled for the first time in a long time. Not saying that I smiled a lot, but you know what I mean.

Even the sky was clear that night, when I walked home. The stars twinkled and waved their lights at me. When I was little, I thought that stars were tiny planets, with people on them, with giant flashlights. Now I knew what they really were. Tonight they were all over the sky, as if someone used the sky as a canvas and sprinkled glitter all over the dark blue paint. It was beautiful. I wanted to watch them all night long. Watch them fly across the sky. Watch them bring in the moon. Watch them disappear in a splash of orange, purple, pink and gold paint of the sunrise.

It was a good idea. That's exactly what I would do. I ran down my street and into the backyard. My mom seemed to see me coming, because she poked her head out of the kitchen window and called me into the house.

"Here's your lab coat." She handed me my lab coat and I put it on. It was still warm from the dryer. I loved when I put on clothes that were still warm. When I was little, my mom would dump all the warm, clean laundry on top of me. I'd pretend I was in a cave and try to find my way out of the warm clothes. Sometimes I didn't want to come out of the pile of clothes and I'd sit there until the clothes got cold.

"Thanks. Can I sleep under the stars today?" I asked and went into the hallway to get my sleeping bag from the hallway closet.

"Sure!" my mom smiled as I came back with my sleeping bag.

"Where's dad?" I suddenly asked and just realized that he wasn't reading his evening newspaper in the living room.

"Working late today. The Mayor is making everyone work longer and harder. Tomorrow I work longer and dad comes home early. " My mom sighed and I could tell by the tone of her voice, that she didn't want to work late. The Mayor was going insane. Anyone could see that he was VERY desperate for money. My mom worked at the Mayor's sardine factory and my dad sold the Mayor's sardines. The prices had dropped, so people would afford the sardines, but pay some money.

"I'm going to go now." I finally pointed at the back door. Mom nodded and said she'll head off for bed too.

It had gotten chillier outside, but still warm enough for sleeping under the stars. I laid my sleeping bag on the grass and crawled into it. My eyes wouldn't get of the stars. They seemed brighter and much bigger. I sighed happily and watched them until my eyelids drooped down and I was snoring.

My dream was really strange that night. I was running down Main Street with a blindfold over my eyes. The streets were empty and it was full broad daylight. I was all alone, running blindly around the town. There were these strange voices, whispering around me, even if I knew that no one was really there. Then I heard the blaring of an ambulance. There were no ambulances in Swallow Falls. Except for the doctor who had his own clinic. He just had a siren on his car. The whispers got louder and I tried to rip the blindfold off. But it was stuck to my face like glue.

I woke up covered in cold sweat.

"What the heck was that?" I asked myself, trying to catch my breath, as if I ran a 5k marathon. It was morning and the grass around me was covered in dew. My sleeping bag was wet and so was my hair. But the dream stuck to me and I felt like it was real. Dreams like that always scared me. They were nightmares, but you woke up to realize that it wasn't real.

My worst nightmare was when I dreamt that I had died, by falling from somewhere. I woke up, not able to move. When I had realized I was just in my room and I wasn't really dead, I took deep breaths for a whole hour. Those dreams crack every nerve in my body.

My rumbling stomach reminded me that I hadn't eaten dinner last night, so I hurried to roll up my sleeping bag. The kitchen was empty when I came in. Mom and dad had probably already for work. I opened the cupboard and saw the last package of cookies. Looking around to see of anyone was there, I snatched three cookies out of the cupboard.

"FLINT LOCKWOOD! I SEE THAT!" my mom's voice came out of nowhere, and I jumped. But when I turned around she wasn't there. Finally she into the kitchen and planted her hands on her hips. I quickly put the cookies back and she laughed.

"Don't worry, eat them. There's nothing else to eat anyway." She chuckled and grabbed her purse. Now she left for work.

"Bye, Flint!" she called and I heard the front door slam as she left. Laughing to myself, I grabbed the cookies and began to eat them. Then I opened the fridge and was taken back. It was empty, except for two miserable cans of sardines. One was opened and half empty, and the other turned out to be expired.

Now what? I had a whole day to myself, with nothing to do. Maybe I could go invent something. But today, I wasn't in the mood for that. Then I remembered that the summer school students left today. Gasping, I stuffed the last of the cookie in my mouth and ran out the front door. My legs took me down the street really fast. I almost tripped over a can, almost got run over by a car and by the time I made it to the docks, the students were boarding the boat. I zigzagged through the crowd; made it to the front and saw the girl on the boat. Oh no! I forgot to ask what her name was!

"Whatever." I muttered under my breath and watched the boat slide out of the docks. Now I felt horrible that I didn't say a proper goodbye. But maybe we'll meet again someday. Maybe next summer.

The crowd slowly began to move away and I stood alone on the docks. I remembered last night's stars and smiled again. Today the sky was grey again. It had said its last goodbye when it presented the stars to our town last night. It will be grey for a while now. Now once I thought about it, there were too many goodbye's today: the sky's beauty left, the girl left.

Maybe I was going insane, but a voice was whispering in my ear, _"Say goodbye."_ I spun around to find no one. Maybe if I listened harder, there was a distant blare of ambulance sirens. Just like my dream.

Maybe because they were real.


	6. Chapter 6: Dying Flames

There were sirens. The ambulance sirens from the doctor's van. They were coming closer and closer. I walked down the docks and came right onto Main Street. The doctor's van sped past me. Except it wasn't the doctors van. It was a real ambulance. Where did the doctor get an ambulance from? The words on the side of the ambulance were _Swallow Falls Medical Clinic and Service._ I watched as the ambulance raced away from Main Street and down the West Streets of Swallow Falls. That was also where the Mayor's sardine company was located. That was where my mom worked.

My heart skipped a beat and I wondered if something had happened at the factory. Many things could happen in factories. Machines could explode, someone might get too close to the fire or you might trip and hurt yourself on something sharp on the ground. The possibilities were endless. My legs were running again. I felt myself running after the ambulance. People seemed to be running that way too. There was seriously something wrong.

I saw the ambulance park a few feet away from the factory. Gasping, I saw what was happening to the factory. Black smoke was coming out of the factory windows and giant flames licked at the windows. The door was locked. The workers were trapped inside of the burning factory. If I listened closely, I could hear the terrified shrieks coming from inside. Suddenly, the door was thrusted open by the workers in the inside and they all poured out of the factory coughing and sputtering.

Coming closer were the blaring sirens of the fire truck. Yes, it was true. Our town had a doctor, firemen, but no police! The truck rolled around the corner and people watched a dozen firemen climb out. A bunch of them ran into the burning factory wearing oxygen masks. The others grabbed their hoses and began to spray the factory. As the firemen brought workers out, all seemed okay—so far. Some workers were collapsing the moment they came out into the fresh air. The doctor and some of his employees ran out of the ambulance to help the collapsed people.

"What happened?" I overheard the doctor ask a man who had some of his hand burnt.

"The furnace exploded. The sparks and burning coal from the furnace flew and exploded the boiler. The heated water from the boiler hit the gas tank, and a fire began. The furnace was really old, so we all knew it'll explode someday." The man replied and looked at his damaged hand. The doctor was slowly wrapping it up in a cloth.

More and more workers were hauled from the burning factory, but there was no sign of my mother. I watched the firemen go back and forth, carrying people, and me searching the crowd for my mom.

"Could anyone have died in there?" I asked the doctor as I approached him.

"They might, but the fire crew will take everyone out and make sure no one is dead. But some of them might die when they come out. The smoke isn't good for the lungs and air passages. Is one of your family members in there?" the doctor glanced at me.

"My mom." I nodded and my lip trembled. If she didn't come out, I would assume she was dead and that would be the end. I told myself not to cry and just wait a few more minutes. _She will be okay. _I kept repeating to myself. Slowly, I hugged myself and my fingers closed over the soft fabric of my lab coat. She had given me this lab coat and it was just another part of her. The doctor sighed and I saw him shake his head, before he returned to mending the man's arm.

"_MY FACTORY!"_ came a scream and the crowd of people turned to find the Mayor racing down the street and came to a stop behind the firemen hosing the building.

"ALL MY MONEY! ALL MY WORK INTO PUTTING THE FACTORY TOGETHER! MY BUSINESS! I'M LOST! BANKRUPT! MY MONEY!" the Mayor screamed again and watched the burning factory in horror. Not once had he mentioned how his workers had suffered. He didn't seem to care that people could be dying before his eyes. All he cared about was the business and money. People seemed to notice this. So did I.

"What about your workers? Some of them are dead, or about to die! You idiot! If you had so much money, why couldn't you change the furnace long ago? You knew it would explode sooner or later!" one woman from the crowd stepped out and glared at the Mayor.

"You're blaming _ME_?" the Mayor cried out and his eyes widened.

"YES! Why did you even lock the factory doors? Call yourself our Mayor? You can't even care for the people in this town!" the woman screeched and people began to pull her back into the crowd. She had said too much.

"What, you think I have to take care of all of your problems? I just run the town and make sure things don't fall out of place." The Mayor snapped back and a rage blazed in his eyes.

"Then where were you when the robbery happened four years ago? The shooting in the factory! What about the murder of the McHales? Huh?" the woman wrenched herself from the grip of the people holding her back. I stared at her. She was making a point. Where WAS the Mayor during those crimes?

"SHUT UP! WHAT YOU THINK I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THERE AT EVERY CRIME? THEY HAPPEN, AND THERE IS _NOTHING_ I COULD DO! I already called the New York State Police to help us!" the Mayor shouted and then turned on his heel and moved away from the crowd.

I was shaking and realized that I had forgotten about watching for my mom. Quickly I scanned the faces of the workers with the doctors. She wasn't there. I led my eyes toward the firemen carrying the people out.

Then I saw her. My whole body went rigid. She was limp in the arms of a fireman covered in ashes. She was too, covered in ashes. Her eyes were half open, and one was twitching with shock. The doctor soon ran up to her and they laid her on a stretcher.

"She's the worst one." The doctor told the fireman; who had finally rescued all the people from the factory. He now grabbed a hose and was spraying the dying flames.

The doctor gently placed an oxygen mask on my mother's face and connected the cord from the mask to a small pump. Then the doctor took a white blanket and placed on my mother. Her eyes were still half open and I wished I could call out to her. My heart was ripping as I watched her. She was going to die. Her limp hand hung from the edge of the stretcher as the doctor and his employees picked her up and carried her into the back doors of the ambulance. They picked up other workers and also placed them through the back doors.

Tears were building up in my eyes. They lingered there, and then slowly cascaded down and over the rim of my eyes. They were like the silent rivers that were finally flowing after a long time. I really don't remember the last time I cried. But the tears were coming down slow. Mom wasn't dead yet. They just might cure her. If they did, then the tears would be tears of relief and happiness. If she died, I would let it all out and go insane.

"Was that Fran?" came a soft voiced behind me. Wiping away some stray tears, I turned around to find my dad standing there. His eyebrow was furrowed upward and he looked ready to cry too.

"Yeah." I watched the ambulance rumble back down the street and to the direction of the Medical Clinic.

"Let's go." My dad told me and pointed to his car parked not far off. Nodding, I followed him into the car. My dad started the engine and we drove after the ambulance. While sitting in the passenger seat, I curled up in a tight ball and brought my knees toward me. I didn't bother fastening my seatbelt. Inside me, my body was all quiet and waiting, all but my stomach which was doing nervous cartwheels.

The Medical Clinic wasn't too far away, but when we got there, the ambulance was already parked and the patients were probably carried inside. My dad and I walked to the glass double doors and swung them open. Air conditioner blasted at us. A woman sat behind the counter writing something down. She lifted her head when she saw us.

"Um… A worker from the factory named Fran Lockwood just got here recently. We are her family." My dad stammered and the woman nodded understandably. She wrote something down on a post-it and handed it to my dad. I read over my dad's shoulder. It said: _Hallway of severe injuries (2__nd__ floor), Fran Lockwood: Room 3._ My dad muttered his thanks to the lady and she nodded.

"This clinic is very small. It only has 2 floors. One for severe injuries, and the other for everything else." My dad explained as we took the elevator to the 2nd floor. The clinic had no stairs. In the elevator, I said nothing to my dad. I was afraid to speak. I was afraid to see what was wrong with my mom. Soon, the elevator gave a sharp _ping! _and the doors opened. The hallway was short and only had ten rooms. Each room was numbered with a gold number hanging from each door. We stepped into the room.

The room was small. A hospital bed was at one end and a window was stretched out at one wall. There was nothing else in the room, expect the bed and a small table next to the bed. Mom lay in the bed. She was terribly pale and her eyes were still half closed. She had been the last worker out of the burning factory. The amount of smoke inhaled by her was a great and frightening amount. When she turned her head to see us, her eyes opened slightly more and she sighed happily. Her sigh was ragged and she coughed when she did so. I sat at the edge of her bed and dad stood behind me. Carefully, I took her limp hand. Dad was shaking behind me.

"I'm sorry. For everything I've ever done." She whispered and tears glistened on her eyelashes.

"You never did anything bad, mom." I shook my head and she smiled kindly at me.

"If I don't make it, promise me you'll never stop inventing, Flint. Just believe in yourself. One day you'll be the greatest inventor ever to live." She rasped and I nodded. Now I was on the verge of crying. I wanted to tell her that she was going to make it, but I wasn't sure. And if she did die, I will continue inventing. If my mom believes in me, then I should too.

"Tim." She finally turned her head to my dad and I saw my dad beginning to cry too. He took her other hand and squeezed it. My mom smiled and slowly sat up in her bed. Then she pulled dad and me into a weak, but tight hug. Dad and I hugged her back. I never wanted to let go. Never ever. I wanted to hold her and make her be there with us forever. Tears were now pouring out of my eyes and I hugged my mom harder. Finally, she let go and slowly lay down again. Her eyes were filled with tears too. Then she gave a horrible cough.

"I love you both." She whispered and then she gave one last shudder before she stopped moving and breathing altogether. Her eyes closed and her tears glistened on her pale cheeks. My whole body went cold all over and I shook. Now I was sobbing as I gripped my mother's hand. The last of the warmth was ebbing away. Her hand was turning cold. So was I.

This cold feeling washed over me and I felt my dad's hand on my shoulder. She was gone. My tears splashed out of my eyes and fell on her hand. Why did she have to go? She didn't deserve to die.

My heart was beating slower and I felt my soul crying inside me.


	7. Chapter 7: Relief and Pain

We left the clinic with my sobbing into my hands and my dad crying softly. He led me into the car and when we got in; I slumped back in my seat and kept on crying. My mom was gone and would never return. It was like she had gone to work, but wouldn't come home for dinner. I watched the scenery flash by us, as our car rumbled down the streets. We rode down Main Street and I saw the streets filled with people. Some of them had lost family too. Friends and people they cared about. Then I thought about Brent. He had lost both parents. Who did he live with now?

I pressed my forehead against the cool glass of the car and sighed. The tears stuck to my cheeks and no more seemed to come out. My sigh was ragged, because of all my shaking. My dad hadn't said a single word to me, but I could tell he was shaking too.

When we got home, I got out of the car and slammed the door behind me. I didn't even look back to see my dad's reaction. He hated when I slammed the car door. Ignoring my dad's calls, I ran across the backyard and to my lab. Quickly, I climbed up the ladder and ran down my tunnel, when I reached the main part of my lab, I collapsed on the floor. Now tears came out of me and I howled as I clutched my lab coat.

_She's dead. Gone! I'll never see her again! _

My mind was lost and those words zipped around my head. She wasn't here anymore to watch me invent anything new, watch me enter high school, get my diploma at my high school graduation, enter college, then graduate from high school and get married. She won't be there at my hardest times and my good times. What will happen to me now?

I lay there on my lab floor and pressed my cheek against the floor. She was there when I built this lab. She helped me hammer the metal in 1st grade; dad helped me to build a ladder. We were family. _Now we are a broken family. A puzzle piece with one piece missing. A painting without color. A table without its legs. _

I opened my bloodshot eyes and glanced around. My eyes traveled to the posters hanging from my walls, to the computer with many screens. All this was part of me. Just like my mom was part of me. When was the last time I hugged her? A cold feeling spread through me and I wrapped my arms around myself. Slowly, I sat up and breathed out. Then I got up and went over to my computer desk. There was a framed photo of the three of us standing in front of the Sardine Factory. The photo was taken long ago when I was in kindergarten and my mom just got the job at the factory.

Slowly, I took the framed photo and looked at it long. Then I put it down and heard my dad call me. Blinking, I went over to my window and stuck my head out. My dad stood below.

"You hungry, skipper?" he asked and looked up at me.

"No." I shook my head.

There was a long silence. Then—

"Tell me when you're hungry." He scratched the back of his head and sighing, went back into the house. I stepped back into my lab and slowly began to pace around the room. At one point, something next to my computer caught my eye. I came over and saw that it was the bag of cookies I snuck out one night. Opening the bag, I saw that there was only one cookie left. Blinking back tears that were returning I closed the bag and placed it back on my table. Mom had told me not to eat the cookies, until the morning she finally let me.

I couldn't take this anymore. Wandering around doing nothing. I had to believe that she was gone and would never return. But that was too hard to believe. Every time I thought of that, my mom's face came shining back into my mind and then I'd just have to choke back more tears.

Taking a deep breath, I exited my lab and climbed down the ladder. Quietly, I opened the back door and made sure it didn't creak. My dad wasn't in the kitchen. I crept through the kitchen and peeked my head into the living room. There sat my dad on the couch. The lights were turned off in the room, but I saw him clearly. In one hand he held his wedding ring and in the other a portrait of my mother smiling warmly. I came up to him and sat down on the couch beside him.

"Dad?" I whispered and he slowly turned his head to look at me.

"I don't know what to do anymore, Flint." He murmured and clutched the photo harder. His eyebrows were casting downward and a single tear strayed on his face.

"If she's watching us now, then she'd want us to continue without her. She'd want us to be happy." I told him and my dad gave a small nod. He put the photo down on the coffee table and put the wedding ring back on his ring finger. Then he turned to me and stretched his arms out. I came over and he gave a fatherly hug. I buried my face into his shoulder and began to cry again. Dad was all I had left now.

"She'd want that. People can't mourn forever. They'll be left with sick hearts if they do." My dad replied and let go of me. I nodded and then he got up.

"You want to eat?" he asked quietly.

"Sure." I mumbled and followed my dad into the kitchen. I just had to believe what mom would want us to believe. She wouldn't want us sad. Besides, she'll be with us just not in human form. Maybe she was watching from wherever her soul was, smiling.

xxx

The factory had been closed. This time for good. The Mayor was angry and blamed his anger on other people. This made people hate him more and more. But to lift their spirits, he was thinking of a way to distribute his sardines. Swallow Falls had so many sardines caught by the fishermen that the supermarket was overflowing with sardines and the stench of fish. People begged the Mayor to ask the states to ship them normal food, but the Mayor had no money. Citizens gave in donations, but there was only enough money for two apples.

Other than all that bad news, there was exceptionally good news. Swallow Falls finally got a police force. The two New York State Police appointed Earl as an officer. Even if he had robbed the store, the police believed him about someone forcing him to doing it. Earl had taken some oath and the next day he was strolling Swallow Falls in his new uniform. The NY State police left and now Earl became in charge. Every morning, citizens watched Earl run laps around the town, then go on to an hour of push-ups. He was proud of finally getting a good job. The NYS Police force paid him weekly.

The Mayor didn't like this at all. People would find him sitting in a dark blue trench coat, on the city hall front steps, smoking. It was rumored he carried a gun around. No one knew for sure. But people asked Earl to watch the Mayor just in case. On day things were actually going a whole new direction. Earl was patrolling the streets and the Mayor was walking down the sidewalk in his new suit, when Earl shouted something at him. The Mayor stopped walking and froze.

"Do you have a gun in your pocket, Shelbourne?" Earl asked out loud and people walking by froze to listen.

"No." the Mayor turned his pockets inside out.

"Do you own one at home?" Earl asked in a more serious voice.

"Yeah…" the Mayor stammered and glanced nervously from side to side at the crowd of people watching.

"Was it you who almost shot Fran Lockwood 4 years ago? Don't lie Shelbourne." Earl demanded and the street went dead silent. No one dared look away or make a sound. This was what people have been waiting for. But the Mayor just stared at Earl calmly. Then he looked around at the people watching closely. Earl seemed to see what bothered him.

"EVERYBODY LEAVE!" Earl shouted at the crowd and instantly people scampered away. No one dared to be yelled at Earl again. Then Earl came closer to the Mayor and towered over him.

"Spill the beans." Earl folded his arms against his chest and stood up straighter.

"I-I… uh…. D-did." The Mayor winced and rage flashed through Earl's eyes.

"_WHAT_?" he roared and the Mayor took a step back.

"I almost shot her! Okay? End of discussion." The Mayor snapped and Earl clenched his fists at his sides.

"WHY? FRAN LOCKWOOD NEVER DID _ANYTHING_ TO YOU!" Earl thundered and cracked his knuckles sharply. The Mayor gulped.

"Yeah, you better be afraid! Did you know that Fran Lockwood died yesterday? HUH? How do you feel now? I'm gonna have to throw you into jail for a couple of months or years." Earl snapped back and the Mayor went pale with shock.

"But I didn't hit her!" he blinked.

"Who forced me to rob the clothing store? Remember that?" Earl shot back and pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his belt. Quickly, he snapped the handcuffs on the Mayor's wrists and then grabbed the Mayor by the back of his suit and dragged him off to Swallow Fall Prison. Earl still didn't know what else the Mayor did. He might never find out.

xxx

I was searching for my invention ideas sheet in my lab. I was ready to build my next invention. This one will be for my mom. She didn't want me to give up, so I won't. When I found my ideas sheet, there was only one more invention drawn there. It was a car that could fly. Smiling to myself, I pulled out a blank blueprint and began to sketch out the engine and the parts I'll need for the car. Would the motor from a plane work? Maybe that would be to tough. Where was I supposed to get a plane motor from?

Then I drew a rough sketch of my dad's car. Would dad mind if I stole some parts from the car? Laughing, I remembered how complained for a week about not having a TV. He bought himself a TV, no problemo. A new car. That would be a great excuse for a new car. I imagined my dad's face when he realized that his car was missing an engine.

UNLESS I made an engine from scratch. Ugh, that would be hard. Too lazy to start now. Maybe later.


	8. Chapter 8: high school

The first day of high school. 9th grade. The big place. Whoa. The two years flew by so fast that it was insane. And I hadn't accomplished anything. Yep, nothing. All I did was give my new invention a name: The Flying Car. But I hadn't built the damn thing. Every time I thought about it, I'd say I'd start tomorrow. But tomorrow was the same as the previous day. That day back in the summer of 6th grade, I was still shaken from mom's death and it was hard living without her after that. At the funeral, the whole town came. Except for the Mayor who was in jail. Earl wouldn't say the reason.

But we were better without him for the time being. The town was quieter, but people actually lived in peace. There were no more crimes, and we were better without them. Brent had become the town's superstar and his TV commercials were driving me nuts. I couldn't stand them. This also meant that the sardine factory opened back up. No one signed up to work there. People were freaked out. So the machines did all the work. A few brave souls decided to work there. But like two people.

But today I awoke from my alarm clock screaming in my ear. First day of 9th grade. I was ready. Just like I was ready for every day of school. I stretched and got up from bed. I snatched my clothes off my chair and hung them over my shoulder. Then I stumbled across my lab in my pajamas. Oh right, I forgot to tell you. I had done something in those two years. I made new additions to my lab. The tree supporting my lab grew A LOT, so now I have an elevator system. Right now, I stumbled through the lab, opened the door to the elevator and went inside.

_WHOOSH!_

The elevator whooshed down and hit the ground level; I got out and made my way to the back door of the house. Since my lab didn't have a bathroom, I had to wash up in the house. The kitchen was bright with light and my dad yawned as he stumbled in.

"Morning, skipper. Ready for school?" he smiled and went to brew coffee.

"Yes." I smiled too and my eyes glanced at the clock on the wall. Gasping, I raced madly to the bathroom and turned the shower on.

After showering, washing up and dressing up, I came into the kitchen and dad placed a plate of something gray in front of me and a cup of coffee. I took my fork and poked the gray stuff.

"Dad, what is this?" I asked and inspected it. Really it looked like nothing. Just a pile of gray stuff.

"You know, I have no idea. The can just said 'The good stuff'. That's it." Dad frowned and showed me the can.

"Well it obviously contains sardines." I sniffed it and then shoved my plate away.

"You have to eat something." My dad grabbed his coffee and newspaper and sat down beside me. I shook my head and sipped my coffee. I know when I was little (2nd grade) I said I will NEVER EVER drink coffee, but it wasn't too bad once you got used to it. When I drank all my coffee, I jumped up and snatched up my backpack.

"Good luck, son!" my dad called after me as I ran out the front door and slammed it behind me.

The September air was warm and the streets of Swallow Falls were covered in autumn leaves. They finally brought color to the gray streets and gray buildings. I ran down the street and this time, not toward Main Street. Swallow Falls High School was down my street and from there, down a few more streets. As I ran, my lab coat (now fit me perfectly—well maybe the sleeves were a little long, but the ends went around my knees) billowed around me as the breeze played with it. My hair was pushed back and I closed my eyes and sprinted further down the street.

As I ran (it felt more like floating) I reached the High School in no time at all. Swallow Falls High School was a huge school with lots of windows and home to the Sharks. The Elementary and Middle School's sports teams were the Sardines and the High School were the Sharks. I wondered if I should join a sports team this year. I never joined a team. But we'll just have to wait and see.

The moment I stepped inside, I gasped when I saw the amount of people here. The hallways were crowded so tight, that people's shoulders touched as they moved along. Where had all these kids come from? Swallow Falls didn't have so many people, let alone kids. I rummaged through my backpack and pulled out my schedule. My homeroom was English room #338. Where was that? My eyes traveled for more lost people like me. There were plenty. 9th graders stumbled through the hallway like blind mice. All clutching their schedules like it was made of gold.

The other students (10th, 11th and 12th graders) walked around like they owned the place and all seemed to know where they were going. I followed a group of 9th graders up a set of stairs and another unfamiliar hallway was before me. I glanced at the numbers on each door. All numbers here were in their 200's. 300's were probably on the next floor. _How big is this school?_ I thought to myself and walked down the hall, looking for more stairs. It was much too frustrating.

"Where's the 3rd floor?" I asked a tall guy holding his skateboard. He turned to me and burst out laughing.

"Another one," he laughed to himself, "There is no 3rd floor! Don't they tell the 9th graders anything? It's behind that door." He finally pointed to a room that looked exactly like the rest in the hallway. I blinked approached the door. When I opened it, there was another hallway right before me. This was the so called '3rd floor'.

When I found my classroom, everyone was inside and already seated. The teacher was an old lady wearing bifocals, which were perched on the tip of her nose. Her gray hair was curly and she had long sharp nails.

"Hmmm….Lockwood?" she looked at me and scanned her attendance sheet.

"Yes, miss." I nodded and she smiled.

"Sit next to McHale, dear." She pointed to the empty seat right next to Brent. The desks in the room were paired up. Brent blew out an annoyed sigh when I sat down beside him. Then he cast a side-glance at me and I saw that his eyes blazed with hate and even… jealousy? I shrunk down in my seat and tried to not pay any attention to him.

"If you dare embarrass me this year, I'll hang you from the flagpole." Brent growled under his breath.

"If you dare hang me from the flagpole, I'll spray your mouth shut. With the substance I used on my feet." I shot back and Brent said no more. He turned away and took his notebook out and fumbled with his pencil. The teacher finally put her book down and turned to us. She scanned the room with her eyes and taking in first thoughts about everyone. Finally she folded her arms behind her back and smiled at us all.

"In this class you will called by your last names. I believe that it more proper. And in this class I will not tolerate with any horrible attitude. One step out of line and you are out!" she shouted out in a sterner voice and we all gulped. She was one of those teachers who you thought were nice, but turned out to be evil.

"Reider!" she snapped at someone at the back of the class. Instantly everyone turned around to find a girl with a long perfectly straight ponytail that reached her waist. She went pale and stared at the teacher.

"I taught your mother," she narrowed her eyes then her eyes fell on me, "Lockwood! I taught both your parents." I froze and nodded. How old was this woman?

"Now as you can tell there are a lot of students in the school this year." She changed the subject and we all nodded and glanced around the classroom.

"Students from the East Coast of the U.S. are coming to go to school here. There are going to be more houses built for these people on the far side of Swallow Falls." She smiled. Now I understood. A bunch of students were being sent here. Why? I'd rather go to school in NY or any state than here. Not saying that it was bad here, but there they had normal food to eat and their town wasn't poor. But maybe now we'll get more food shipping.

xxx

After a couple of other classes, lunch came. Usually I sat alone or shared a table with people I didn't know. Today every table was packed. There was no one to sit with. I went and bought myself a lunch then I heard someone calling me. Confused I scanned the room and finally saw the some guy from homeroom calling me. I went over to his table and sat down beside him. Quickly, I looked around at the other people at the table. There were two other guys and Brent. Great.

"So you're Flint? I'm Denis from Rhode Island." Denis held his hand out and I shook his hand. Denis had short light brown hair and he had giant biceps and was all well- built. He most likely will try out for the football team. The other two guys were same; huge and looked like they worked out four hours a day. I waved at them and both smiled back.

"You joining any teams this year?" Denis asked and bit into his sardine sandwich. Wait till he got so used to eating sardines every day, that he'll be running back to the U.S. When he asked the question, Brent snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Maybe." I bit into my sandwich and Denis grinned and smacked me on the back.

"Good for you! Join the football team!" he laughed and I choked as he smacked me. I swear if I get tackled in football, I'll come out a cripple. Denis seemed strong. I imagined ten or more player jumping on me to steal the ball. Wincing, I smiled weakly and hoped he wouldn't do that again. When we finished eating, a gruff voice came over the P.A.

"_All male students wishing to join the football team, tryouts are in the south field right now." _

"C'mon guys," Brent got up and glanced at me, "You coming?" he demanded. I could tell he wished I would say no and leave him and his friends alone. But I jumped up and followed them. Wow. Me trying out for football. I wished my mom could see me now. Smiling, I took my lab coat off and folded it into my backpack. I didn't want to get it dirty.

We came into the field and I gasped at the size. It was huge. The coach stood there. He handed us shoulder pads, knee pads, a shirt, and a helmet. He explained that tryouts might get rough. Even bloody. He divided us into two teams and told us to get ready. I put on the gear and the coach placed me behind the Quarterback. He'd scream 'hut' and throw the ball to me, I had to either get a touchdown or pass it along.

"HUT!" the Quarterback yelled and threw the ball to me. Instantly the other team ran toward me. All were huge players and I was the only skinny one. I screamed and ran the other way. They charged after me and then I turned around and ran toward the goalpost. One guy from the other team pounced and screaming I ran faster. He landed on me, but I threw the ball at the goalpost. It landed and my team cheered.

Maybe football wasn't so bad. But to calm myself I'll finally begin with the Flying Car afterschool.


	9. Chapter 9: Flying Car

The rest of football tryouts got my covered in bruises. Well not everywhere, but mostly on my arms and legs. One under my eye and one on my stomach. When I finally stumbled off the field, my coach smacked me on the back and said I did an excellent job. I suddenly hoped I didn't make it on the team. In the locker room, I took my helmet off and ran one hand through my hair. Sweat dripped down my face. Denis flopped down beside me on the bench and Brent on my other side. Both looked just as exhausted as I was. Denis took off his helmet and I saw there was a dent on the top part of his helmet. He winced and rubbed his head.

"Do you guys think you'll make it?" Denis wiped the sweat off his face and blew out a tired sigh. Some of the other guys in the room muttered something in response. Brent grinned.

"I hope so!" he nodded and then he and Denis turned to look at me.

"Yeah! Me too." I smiled, but on the inside I was shaking and saying _No freaking way._ If I made it I'd quit. Or if I wasn't allowed to get out, then I'll ask coach for more protection. Denis beamed and then went to the showers. Brent stared at me hard and I saw fear flicker in his eyes.

"Flint, are you sure? Those were only tryouts. The tackling gets tougher and the play gets harder in the real games." Brent bit his lip.

"You're calling me a wimp? I'll be fine." I glared at him and went to the showers too. Brent watched me go and shook his head. The memory of me falling from the ledge of my lab and breaking my leg (remember when I tried to fly?) flew into my mind. Did I want broken bones again? No, but this was a chance to show everyone that I was someone on the inside and not a nobody. I was tired of people calling me horrible names and not having any friends. I wanted to show people that I was capable of something. Since they didn't accept me as an inventor, I had to try as a football player.

xxx

When I entered the house, my dad was there on the phone. Soon he hung up and turned to me. Then his eyes widened. It was probably the bruise under my eye. The rest of my bruises were covered. I smiled weakly and he just stared.

"Don't tell me you got beat up on the first day of high school?" he whispered in a worried voice and I laughed.

"I tried out for football." I grinned and went over to our medicine cabinet (the cupboard closest to the fridge) and opened it. Many, many bottles stared back at me. Frowning, I began to rummage through them. My dad was silent as he watched me.

"Football? Son, you can't even throw a ball far, let alone a football!" my dad looked nervous and came to help me find the cream for bruises. I shrugged and my dad handed me the right bottle. I said my thanks and took my backpack to me lab. Today I would FINALLY begin building the Flying Car. At last. Yes I know what you're thinking. Why couldn't I have started before, but I already told you why. And yes it would take a long time, but I was up for it. I had no homework (thank god!) and I needed to relax. The football tryouts had driven me out of my core. As I came over to my elevator; of my lab, I wondered why I should even be so worried. Things were okay. I might not make it into the football team, the flying car will be a success (I hope), and the Mayor was in jail.

Up in my lab I dumped my backpack on my bed and instantly ran to my flying car blueprints. Engine. Right. Hmmm. I glanced around my lab and then went to look in my 'junk box'. It was filled with spare parts from different things. Fortunately, there were car parts. I grabbed them all and ran to my table. Now I was zooming mini tornado, racing around the lab constructing the car.

"Connecting!"

"Cabling!"

"Smoldering!"

"Molding!"

"Drilling!"

"Virtualizing!"

"Placing buttons!"

"Cutting!"

"Gluing!"

"Painting!"

"Attaching axels!"

"DONE!" Flint cried out and raised his arms to the air and shouted out with triumph. He had done it. Yet another invention finished. This was great. This was amazing. Excitement surged through me as I stared at my masterpiece. Now for the test. Will it fly? I hoped so. This one was for mom. I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted to show her that I was still who I always had been. There was still something left inside of me. Taking a deep breath, I used the transported on the other side of my lab to send the Flying Car to the ground. From there, I will test it.

This time I didn't bother asking dad to see my invention because he would be afraid that'll something will happen and that he wouldn't care anyway. So I casually went into the house and grabbed the camera and its stand. I loaded it into the passenger seat of the car and then sat in the driver's seat. Slowly, I turned the engine on and the car rumbled smoothly. Then a thought came into my head.

I didn't have a driver's license. And I couldn't drive. I was only fourteen. What if I got arrested? I imagined sitting in jail next to the Mayor and winced. That would be awful. But this was a _flying _car. It wasn't exactly 100% a car. Besides, I invented it.

Shrugging off the thought, I gripped the steering wheel and drove around the house and onto the driveway. _Not bad. _I nodded to myself and drove the car down the street. When I reached Main Street, I drove the car onto one of the docks. I wanted to fly from here. I got out and positioned the video camera on another dock, so the camera faced the car and showed my test flight. Then I pressed the timer and ran to get into the car. I started it up and glanced out the window at the camera. The timer went off; the red light blinked and I gulped.

"Flying Car!" I shouted and pressed the 'fly' button. The car raced forward, but didn't go upward. Inside it drove off the dock and plunged into the water.

"_AAAHHHHH!"_ I screamed as the car dived hard into the water and drove through the water quickly. I heard the engine give a weird crunch noise and it died out. The motor stopped working too and the car just sank to the bottom. The bottom wasn't too far down, but it was still pretty dark down here.

I groaned and covered my face with my hands. Another invention turned out to be a fail. WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME? Why couldn't anything I make work for once? I did everything right! The car was supposed to fly! Wait a second… Oh no… I forgot the wings. IT WAS A _FLYING _CAR FOR GOODNESS SAKES! Geez! What now? Now there was no way to get out of this hunk of metal. Unless, I opened the door and swam to the surface. But that was too far up. What if I ran out of breath?

Angrily, I thrusted the door open and quickly held my breath as the water flooded into the car. Pumping my legs and arms, I swam upward. It was a long swim up. But I was wonderful. The swimming part. I felt like a bird and the water was my sky. My head broke through the surface and I took in a huge breath. Shivering I climbed out of the water and wrapped my arms around myself.

The camera was still there, filming everything. My teeth chattered as I walked over and turned the camera off. Some people walking by stopped to look at me. They raised an eyebrow at me as if to say _What the hell were you doing in the freezing water, in your clothes?_

"What were you doing in the water?" someone finally asked and shivering, I turned to look at them.

"None of your business." I muttered under my breath and trudged back home. My mood was flattened. All because I forgot to apply wings to my Flying Car. It was just too embarrassing. Even someone as stupid as Brent, would apply wings to a FLYING car.

When I got home, my dad was waiting for me. Once again his eyebrows shot up when he saw me. I was all wet and the water was dripping all over the floor. From the linen closet I got some towels and dried my face and hair. Then I went into the bathroom and took my lab coat off. I wringed all the water from it and put it back on.

"What happened this time?" dad asked when I entered the kitchen and fell into a chair. Sadly, I crossed my arms atop the table and placed my head on top of them.

"My newest invention sunk in the ocean, and I was trapped inside it, so I had to swim out." I grumbled and dad came and sat down too. His eyebrow shot up again, but he didn't say anything. I didn't expect him too. It was fine. Now once I thought about it, I bet every invention would be a fail. Or maybe, I just had to think before building it. Mom ALWAYS told me that: "Flint, think before your actions."

It was just plain sad.

"Well, I'll start dinner. I promise it won't be anything gray and soggy." My dad smiled and got up. I laughed lightly and got up too. All I wanted right now was peace and quiet. My lab was peaceful enough. As I headed there, I wondered if anyone from school saw me in the Flying Car. That would be embarrassing…

The last of the sunlight rays shone into my lab from my window as I lay down on my bed. How fast this day flew by. Heaving in a big sigh, I was happy to finally have some peace and quiet. No one to interrupt me. No screaming teammates, no roaring engines, no chattering teeth. Not even—

_RIIING! Fling you have a call! Flint you have a call! FLINT YOU HAVE A CALL!_

Oh. My. God. Are you serious? Why couldn't everyone just leave me alone? By the way that was my phone ringing (if you STILL didn't know). Dada had gotten me a normal Nokia phone, but it broke in less than a week. So instead of buying a new phone, I made one. Yes, it was an 'invention' that actually worked.

"Hello?" I asked and brought the phone to my ear.

"FLINT! YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT!" I heard a voice yell at the other side. Wincing, I drew the phone away from my ear and waited till they stopped screaming and brought the phone to my ear again.

"Uh… Who is this?" I asked, confused. Not too many people had my number.

"Denis!" Denis cried out from the other end. _How does he have my number?_ I screamed in my mind.

"Oh." I nodded and wondered what the big news was.

"FLINT! Coach called me and told me who made it into the team! You, Brent and I made it! Well, as well as a bunch of other students… BUT WE MADE IT!" Denis cried out joyfully. My stomach clenched. I made it? Oh no. This was bad. Could I still quit? Brent had warned me, and now it was probably too late. Why couldn't I tryout for volleyball in the winter? Or tennis in the spring? Why football? Now I had to deal with it. I muttered a few more words to Denis, before I hung up.

Clutching my phone, I sank to the floor. I wished I had just stayed the way I was and not done any sports. Or at least do Track and Field. All that was, was running. No one attacked you.


	10. Chapter 10: Released before Homecoming

So far we had one big game and I didn't get tackled. I had it out of the game, without bruises and scratches. Other than the rest of the games, we were to train. Coach made us lift weights and do pushups. Even after a whole month, I still couldn't lift a weight. My push-ups weren't so good too. I did five, and then collapsed on the ground. I remember when I was lifting a weight (20 kilos?); I tried, but fell back when my fingers slipped from the cold metal. But the rest of the team lifted the giant weights like they were feathers. Well most of the team. Brent had trouble lifting weights.

One time, he dropped the weight and jumped back before it could land on his toe. I laughed along with the rest of the team, but Brent glared at _me_ and ended up chasing me around the football field. Since I was a good runner, he couldn't catch me. And his threats made me laugh even more.

"Wait till you drop a weight on your foot!" he hollered and ran faster.

"I can't even lift one!" I grinned over my shoulder and raced around faster.

"Then I'll drop one for you!" he shouted and I saw him gaining on me. Wow, he was better than I thought.

"I'll just run away before you'll do so!" I laughed and glanced over my shoulder.

"Wait till I get you, Flint! You wished you were never born!" he yelled angrily and I saw his eyes blaze. I still knew he wouldn't catch me. Nope. Then I had an idea. The bleachers were ahead. I jumped onto the low bench and ran up to the high one. Brent followed no problem. At the top, I was trapped, but I was ready. Brent came closer, so I ran toward the railing and sat on it. When he got even closer, I slid down the railing all the way back down to the football field.

"WAHOOOOO!" I whooped as I slid down. At the bottom, I looked up and saw Brent standing on the top bleacher. He narrowed his eyes and jumped on the railing too. Swiftly, he slid down and we were on the run again. Once again we were running around the football field and I heard our teammates cheer. That's until our coach came. Instantly, I stopped running and watched coach come into the field. Brent saw his chance that I had stopped running. When he was close enough, he jumped and before he could slam into me, I moved over and he crashed on the ground. His face slid on the muddy ground and he lay still on the ground.

"What the hell are you two doing?" our coach shouted and jogged over to us. The rest of the team came up too.

"Training." I stood up straighter and coach nodded. Then everyone came over to Brent and circled him. We all watched him sit up and we all moved back. His face was covered in grass and mud. So were his jersey and his white football pants. His forehead was all red. Too bad we didn't have our helmets on. He looked around and his eyes fell on me. I took a big step back.

"So you guys know that all this week it was Homecoming Week. Today is Thursday.

Tomorrow is the Homecoming Football game and the dance. And tomorrow the Homecoming Queen will be chosen. I want you guys to play good tomorrow and please win. We need it." Coach told us as we formed a huddle, after Brent got to his feet.

"Um, Coach? Who are we playing?" Denis asked nervously.

"Some high school in New York," Coach shrugged, and then broke the huddle, "Go change now!"

We all groaned and jogged down the field. As we headed down to the field, I felt Brent jog up beside me. His eyes glared at me, and then he jogged faster and past me. I watched him go and sighed. Why couldn't we just be friends? So what if he was the popular kid in town and I was the loner? We were equal in a lot of ways. Now as I thought about him, I wondered who he lived with. His parents were dead. Maybe he lived alone.

After we all changed and were heading out, I heard Brent call out to the team before we all left. Everyone turned and he cleared his throat. A look of worry flashed through his eyes. This made everyone come closer.

"I have some bad news. But don't worry too much about it." He looked down at his feet and gulped. A murmur rippled through our team. I watched Brent. He looked up at me and it was the EXACT same look he gave me in 2nd grade. The same scared look he gave me when he sat down beside me at lunch. NowI felt nervous.

"The Mayor will be let out of jail today, and will come to our Homecoming football game tomorrow." Brent finally addressed the team. The teammates who were Swallow Fall citizens, gasped and their faces paled. The ones like Denis; who came from the States, blinked. They had heard who the Mayor was and what he did, but didn't really understand why he was so bad.

"Why?" a boy who was a Swallow Falls citizen whispered and he looked scared.

"I don't know," Brent sighed and then motioned for everyone to go home. We all slung our backpacks over our shoulder and headed home.

As I headed home, I had second thoughts about going to Main Street and see the Mayor let out. But I changed my mind and realized it would probably be on TV. But to think that he was actually going to be let out of jail, sounded weird. The town had gotten used to, him not being there. But now he'll probably go back to his sardine company and babble about his money to everyone. What a jerk.

"Dad! I'm home!" I called out as I entered the house and closed the door behind me. Dad called a 'hello' back and I wondered what he was doing. Slowly I entered the living room and saw him poised in front of the TV with a remote in his hand. A commercial was rolling across the screen.

"Come here and sit down. The 7 o'clock Swallow Falls News is coming on any second." Dad motioned for me to sit beside him on the couch and I dropped my backpack at the door and came over. When I sat down, the 7 o'clock News instantly came on. A woman in a sleek black suit came on and grinned at her audience. She took a deep breath and began.

"_Today our little town has some very exciting news. Mayor Shelbourne; who has been held in jail for 2 years and a couple of months is finally being let out! Yes I repeat, Mayor Shelbourne is being let out of jail. The Mayor is being let out right now, and Tara will tell us all about it. Over to you Tara." _The woman smiled and screen appeared behind her and zoomed in to show a young reporter clutching her microphone excitedly. This must have been Tara.

"_Oh, thank you Lynn! I'm Tara, reporting LIVE from the Main Street of Swallow Falls, where Mayor Shelbourne is being driven over in a police cruiser. Oh and here he comes now!"_ Tara grinned and moved away so the camera could be focused on the police cruiser driving onto Main Street. A crowd of murmuring people were standing in the sidelines, watching nervously. The cruiser parked and the driver's door opened, to show Earl. He had a grim look on his face. He obviously didn't want the Mayor out of jail.

The passenger door opened and Mayor Shelbourne stepped out. The crowd gasped. Nobody could believe that it was really the Mayor standing there. His usual sleek brown hair was uncombed and flopped over his forehead sloppily. He wore the striped black and white jail uniform and his black loafers. The loafers weren't shiny anymore. They were all scuffed and dirty. His grin was wide and his eyes were wild.

"Hello, everyone!" he waved at the crowd. No one answered. Then people, one by one called 'hello's' back to him. He smiled an grin Flint knew oh so well. It was a sly grin. Before the Mayor could say anymore, Earl shoved him back into the passenger seat and slammed the door.

"I'm taking him to City Hall." Earl told the crowd of people. The cruiser drove away and Tara came back.

"_Well that was interesting! Tomorrow the Mayor plans to make an appearance at Swallow Falls High School Homecoming Football Game. Then he also will adjust to his previous life and things will go back to normal. Other news regarding the Homecoming Football Game, Swallow Falls will be playing against a high school in New York City. This means that the players and fans will be arriving from New York City early tomorrow morning. Now over to Lynn with the weather report." _Tara beamed into the camera.

Dad turned the TV off and sighed. I sighed too. Life will _not_ go back to normal. The Mayor will just cause more problems. And why was he coming to our Homecoming Football Game?

"Dad? Are you coming to the game tomorrow?" I asked. Dad smiled at me and nodded. I watched him get up and go make dinner. Exactly in 24 hours we'll be playing the game against the high school from NYC. I couldn't wait.

xxx

It was officially 24 hours later. It was 7:00 pm and the bleachers of Swallow Fall's football field were filling up. On one side of the field sat the people cheering for The Swallow Falls Sharks. On the other side were the people cheering for The Fillionbridge Falcons. **(Author's note: This is a made up high school, so don't try looking it up!)** The cheerleaders for the Sharks were standing in the sidelines of the Swallow Falls bleachers and the cheerleaders for the Falcons stood on the sidelines of the Fillionbridge bleachers. The cheerleaders from both sides glared at each other. It will be completion between them too. The Fillionbridge football players were doing pushups near their bleachers. The Swallow Falls players were huddled around their coach.

"I want everyone to try their best tonight. If you don't know what to do, pass the ball to a different teammate. This means you, Flint. Don't panic if everyone is charging at you. Just change course of the ball." Coach told us and I felt myself nod. Then we broke the huddle and all took a peek at the other team. They were huge!

"We are screwed. They'll steamroll us before we could call for help." Denis winced beside me. I nodded in agreement and the rest of the team murmured something in agreement.

"Stop complaining! Just because they're huge, that doesn't mean we'll lose! They may have the muscles, but we have the brains. We use strategy." Coach winked at us and we all groaned.

My eyes watched the other team and then my eyes traveled to the crowd of cheering Fillionbridge fans. Suddenly, my heart slammed inside my chest. I squinted really hard. It was HER! Oh my god! It was the girl from the summer school program 2 years ago! Was it? She was wearing glasses. But I knew it was her! Even behind the glasses! I tried to catch another look at her, but a loud piercing whistle blew from somewhere and the whole field went quiet.

Mayor Shelbourne walked out onto the field wearing a shiny dark blue suit. His hair was sleek again and his loafers sparkled. A microphone was gripped tightly in his hand. He cleared his throat into the microphone and got everyone's attention.

"We have all come today to one of the greatest events in Swallow Falls High School. Tonight we are playing the annual Homecoming Football Game against Fillionbridge High School's Falcons. I wish luck to both teams!" the Mayor cried out excitedly and the crowd roared.

"And here come the teams!" the Mayor waved his hand at the two teams and left the field. Our team and the other team slowly began to make it down to the field. Everything seemed as if it was all happening in slow motion. We walked onto the field with determined and mighty looks flaming in our eyes. The other team cracked their knuckles and grinned evilly. Slowly, we made it into our positions. Everyone got ready in their positions.

The cheerleaders held their pom-poms ready in their hands. The crowd leaned forward. The coaches gripped their baseball caps. The tension was building up and was trying to burst through the surface. Then—

A shrill whistle rang through the crowd and the game began. No one saw the Mayor slink away. He held something small in his palm, as he sat in the crowd.

The game had officially started. So far the ball hasn't come to me. Wait. No. Here it comes right now…


	11. Chapter 11: Why? What? Who?

The ball swirled through the air and was coming down toward me. It came down faster and faster and I stumbled around ready to catch it. My teammates were racing over to help me, but were shoved away by the Fillionbridge Falcons. The huge Falcon players were running straight at me and I screamed and ran to the goalpost, clutching the ball like it was a prized possession. The ground shook as I ran, and I could tell that they were gaining on me. My legs suddenly felt stiff. The football shoes that I wore over my spray-on shoes felt tight and I felt my breath coming out fast. The goalpost was there. Right there.

I lifted my arm and threw the football. It soared through the air gracefully and spun as it went along. Just as it was about to cross the goal line, one of the Falcon players jumped and snatched from the air. A cheer erupted from the Fillionbridge bleachers and the cheerleaders went into cheers. Then the Falcon player shoved me aside and ran passed me. I slammed to the ground and felt the grass and dirt under me.

"Better luck next time, weakling! You don't belong on the football field, anyway! Get off!" the Falcon player called over his shoulder and dashed off, with my teammates hot on his trail. A rage electrified through my veins. Did he just say what I think he just said? DID HE JUST SAY WHAT I THINK HE JUST SAID? Oh he will pay. I ran down the field and watched Denis now get the ball and ran with it past me, with it clutched under his arm. The giant Falcon players ran too.

For the next hour, the game played along well. But no one had scored yet. Whenever someone was close to the goal, the crowd would lean in and hold their breath. It was too much. The Sharks were as good as The Falcons. I, on the other hand, hadn't got a chance to get the ball anymore.

There had also one tackle. Brent had gotten the ball and three Falcons pounced on him. Brent managed to escape by punching one in the stomach and almost smashing another's helmet. Then he broke free from the last one and raced down the field. There, he threw the ball to one of our teammates and the ball was snatched by the Falcons. It was brutal. Our team was trying their hardest, but the Falcons were there to take the ball away. That's when the whistle blew. It was a break.

"Listen, you guys are doing great. Just try harder to score. There is still 90 minutes left of the game. Please score a goal." Our coach told us when we huddled around him. We still had ten minutes of break, so many ran off to get some water to drink. I took my football shoes off and ran off in my spray-on shoes to get some water to drink. When I came back, my shoes were sitting on the bench, rather than on the ground. And the inside was all black. My shoes had white on the inside. I turned one shoe over and saw my name on the bottom. These were my shoes!

But then what was with the black stuff? Ignoring the black, I pulled the shoes on and ran back on the field. For some reason the shoes seemed lighter and brought a bounce to my step. I seemed to run faster too. Maybe it was adrenaline?

"FLINT! INCOMING!" someone from my team shouted across the field and I saw the ball coming at me. When I caught it, I clutched it hard and raced down the field. A Falcon player was not too far away; blocking my way. When he was about to cuff me on the head and knock me out cold, I ducked and ran under his arm. Smirking, I continued my race to the goalposts. If I reached the End Zone, that'll be 6 points. A shot into the goalposts would be an extra point. My teammates had also started to run after me, along with a few Falcon players. I decided that this time, instead of shooting the ball at the goalpost, I'll just reach the End Zone and score my team a touchdown.

Suddenly, my shoe began to get tighter as if it was choking my foot. I felt something sharp flinch against my ankle and the shoe sent an electric jolt through my leg. Literally. I felt the spray-on shoes hold on tight to me, protecting my foot from whatever was in my shoes. There was something alive in my shoes, because I felt something move around, trying to bit at my spray-on shoes. This was making me run slower. I looked down as I ran and saw something black crawl up the ankle of my pants and then bit down hard. It wasn't an animal. It was some sort of goo.

I yelped in pain and ran faster.

_Flint you can make it! Do this for your team! _I told myself

The Falcon players saw me slowing down and found their chance. I knew that I wouldn't reach the End Zone in time. So, I threw the football at the goal post. Before I could see if I scored, a group of Falcon players tackled me. Most of the bones in my body crackled when they landed. I felt someone's fist slam into the cage of my helmet and their fist reached my face. A monstrous pain bellowed through my face and I felt someone slam into my hip.

"HEEEEELP!" I cried out and tears actually formed in my eyes. Another fist drove into my ribs and I howled.

"GOD DAMMIT! HE DOESN'T HAVE THE BALL!" I heard one of the coaches roar and then I felt the football players get off me. My body felt so hurt. I had no words to describe the pain. Much, much worse than just breaking your leg. My ears pumped with blood and I felt the crowd yell. Or was that a cheer? I couldn't tell. My teammates were running over as well as people from the bleachers. I felt the presence of many people, but I could barely see them. My eyes were sore from the way the guy whacked me. They were limply half open.

"Look at his leg!" I heard various voices and I wondered what was there.

"It's all in blood. There is something black on his leg." I heard the voice of my coach. Blood? Black thing? What _was_ the black thing? I felt someone crouch beside me and gently take my helmet off. I squinted and saw that it was a cheerleader. Or some girl. I felt free when my helmet was off.

"He's hurt." She (whoever she was) whispered and took a step back.

"THAT'S MY SON!" I heard dad cry out as he pushed his way through the crowd. Then I felt him kneel down beside me. My mind couldn't take it anymore. I felt weaker. The words around me seemed slurred. Except for one sentence I managed to hear.

"Oh my, what happened here?" came the slick voice of the Mayor. He didn't seem sorry at all. Of course I couldn't hear anymore, because just then I blanked out…

My mind was so tired that I could barely think. What time was it? Was I late for school? I didn't want to open my eyes. My cheekbone ached. What happened? My body ached too. What happened? Had I fallen off something again? My eyes half opened and I glanced around. Everything was blurry. I blinked a couple of times and my vision became clearer.

White walls blinked back at me. Panicking, I turned my head and opened my eyes fully. More white walls looked back at me. Then a window. Where was I? I moved my head a little more to the left and saw a table filled with cards, flowers and one bag of gumballs. I squinted at the writing on the cards.

They all said either '_Get well, Flint!' _or '_We need you back!'_ I blinked at the cards in confusion. Then it all came back to me. The football game. How I got tackled and was almost beaten to death by the Falcon players. Now it all made sense. But who ended up winning the game? What happened after I passed out? Most importantly, what was the black thing on the inside of my shoe that ended up making my feet bleed?

Then the door opened and a doctor walked in. I knew who it was instantly. It was the doctor who owned the clinic. I was in his clinic.

"Flint, how do you feel?" he asked and sat down on a chair near my bed.

"I can't feel anything on my body." I told him.

"Ah… Well that's quite fine. You'll be better before you know it!" the doctor smiled and adjusted the glasses on his face. I nodded and then wondered about asking him about the black stuff. When I did, he sighed and adjusted his glasses again. A dark look passed through his eyes and he looked scared.

"Someone must have played a nasty trick on you. What were in your shoes were black leeches. Nasty things. Suck on blood." The doctor shuddered and my face went white. Leeches? Oh god. Those things were gross. But who was thick enough to stuff them into my shoe? I bit my lip and felt thankful that I wore spray-on shoes. Nothing could get passed those.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and my football team marched into the room. The doctor smiled and left the room, so they could talk with me. All ten teammates crowded around the bed and glanced at me. Huge grins were spread across their faces.

"Flint we won." Denis grinned and the rest of the team nodded.

"How?" I managed to say.

"You got us a point. Fillionbridge couldn't score on us after that. We won 1-0!" someone guy from the team told me and I stared at them in shock. _My_ flimsy throw, got our team a point? That was incredible.

"I guess you won't be playing football for a long time." Brent suddenly spoke up and looked at my body. The rest of the team winced. I craned my neck, to look down at my own body. There were bandages around my ribs and chest. Now I noticed that my football jersey was hanging on a chair. My football pants had been rolled up and the lower parts of them were bandaged. Plus my wrists on my arms were bandaged too.

"What happened after I got hurt?" I asked the team to change the subject. At the moment, I didn't want to think about me not playing football. I was on the verge of quitting. I knew I'd be letting them down, but I couldn't risk getting hurt like this again.

"Well, you were carried off field and we got a replacement for you. We couldn't stop the game, because it was Homecoming. If it was a normal game, then the game would have been canceled off. But after we won, these trained acrobats came on to perform and the school band played." Another from the team responded.

My stomach clenched. What would have happened if I didn't score? What happened of the score stayed 0-0 until the end of the game? But I felt horrible, even if I scored a goal. I should have fought them off. When they had tackled Brent, he had fought back. Why couldn't I have done the same?

"Guys? I think I should just quit." I stammered and the team turned to me in shock.

"Quit?" Denis gasped.

"But you saved the game!" others cried.

"I'm sorry. But first of all, I won't be able to play. My injuries would probably only get better when football season ends. Second of all, I'm not as good as any of you." I told them and hung my head. My teammates frowned at me and I saw them sigh and get up slowly.

"But you were a good player. If you'll ever want to change your mind, we'll accept you without tryouts." Brent nodded at me and I nodded back.

"Thanks for saving The Homecoming Football Game." Denis nodded and then they all left, waving sadly at me. I sunk back into my bed and glanced at the door. I hoped we all still stayed friends. But they'll most likely forget about me.

At least I was done with football. Now I could slip back into my normal life. I longed for my lab coat. And sitting in my lab, thinking of crazy invention ideas.

Wait a sec. I almost forgot about the leeches. I still had to find out who did that! But I think I already know who it was. Whatever. I wasn't doing football anymore, so leeches inside my shoes wouldn't bother me anymore. I had my spray-on shoes. And I was grateful for them.


	12. Chapter 12: Steve!

So far my childhood story was pretty sad in a lot of numbers. Mom dies, I almost get killed in football and my inventions are all fails. Plus add everything the Mayor has done. I had of course suspected him for stuffing the leeches into my shoes. But uh… no. It turned out being the Falcon players. They wanted me to get off the field. I didn't think they'd mean it literally. After their coach found out what they had done, they weren't allowed to stay for the Homecoming Dance and weren't allowed to have Homecoming at their school next year.

But if you thought about it, I had a few good moments. Wait. Did I? Well, hell yeah, I did! I met that girl. Well not exactly, because I never go her name. But also that night under the stars was amazing. And the excitement of building all my inventions. Yep. And well that's it. Not too many. Wait! What about the time I got my lab coat? That was the best part.

Anyway enough of my babble. I know, I know. I'll continue. If you know what my next invention is, then keep on reading. Even if you don't know, keep on reading.

The next day was a Saturday. I was driven home from the clinic, even if I was covered in bandages. Dad made me lie down on the couch. I didn't want to lie down. I wanted to go to town and see what was up today. But dad finally gave up and handed me my lab coat, shirt, and pants. He warned me to be careful. I rolled my eyes.

"What could happen?" I threw my hands in the air and winced. I forgot my wrists were bandaged. My dad ignored my question and left into the kitchen. I shrugged and went out the front door.

Today Main Street was bustling. All the Fillionbridge fans were leaving in boats. I watched the Falcon players carry everyone's luggage. The acrobats were running around calling someone's name out. One acrobat with a lot of makeup ran up to me. She had wide eyes.

"Have you seen my pet?" she asked. I opened my mouth to ask who her pet was, but she already raced away, clutching her hair. Curiously, I wondered what kind of pet an acrobat might have. A small furry white dog? Probably. The boats began to leave, and the acrobat was pushed onto a boat. I guess her pet would be left here. I watched the boats leave and turned to go. I went into the heart of Main Street and decided to buy an Irish Cream cup of coffee.

The coffee shop was full with customers. The air in the shop was warm and smelled delicious. Only once a year our town got muffins in the shop. Maybe today was the day in the year, when the muffins came in. But I was wrong. They were toasted smoked salmon sandwiches. I bought my coffee and sandwich. Where had the salmon come from? Obviously not from here. If only we had salmon instead of sardines, life would be better. **(Author's note: I once tried sardines. The grossest thing ever. You have fish breath for two days.) **

Since the shop was crowded and had no empty tables, I went outside and sat on the sidewalk curb. Slowly, I put my paper bag with the sandwich beside me and sipped my coffee. The coffee warmed me up, since the October air brought chills. I couldn't wait for snow. Even if I couldn't throw snowball or skate, snow in general was fun. I loved sledding. But for now we were stuck with falling leaves. I sighed and reached for my sandwich, but it wasn't there. I jumped to my feet and saw that my paper bag wasn't there either. Instead there were crumbs beside me. Who managed to snatch my sandwich? There was no one here! Just me! I got up and gripped my coffee. My stomach flip-flopped inside me. Weird. Just plain weird.

Looking around, I began to walk down the street. The street was empty, expect for a few people walking around enjoying the autumn day. It was quiet too. If someone took my sandwich, I would have heard them! Or at least felt the presence of someone there. But it had only been a minute! Or less. Weird. My footsteps were loud as I walked down the street. It was because they were all bandaged up and my legs and feet were stiff.

Suddenly I felt someone following me. It was that feeling. I quickly turned around, but found no one there. Whoever it was, I wished they'd stop stalking me. It was creeping me out. Narrowing my eyes, I sipped my coffee and stopped walking. Then I sat down on a bench and waited.

"Good morning, Flint!" I saw Earl walk by.

"'Morning!" I called back and waved.

A soft tap came on my shoulder. Screaming, I jumped and my coffee went splattering all over the place. Thank goodness I got none on my clean white lab coat. But _what the hell!_ I got up and spun around. No one. Seriously?

"Whoever is following me, cut it out!" I said out loud and got up. That's it. If someone was going to be freaking me out and pulling on my nerves all day, then I wouldn't stay outside. I threw my coffee in the nearest garbage bin and dug my hands deep into my pants pockets. Once again, I went down Main Street. More people walked around. I saw the Mayor hanging some banner across the street and Brent helping him. Why was Brent helping that idiot?

On the sidewalk I saw my old football team, throwing the football to one another. They looked like they were having fun. There was also some guy with them I never saw before. I see that they had replaced me already. It hadn't even been 24 hours yet. He looked fit and really muscular. At least he'd play better than me.

As I trudged back to my lab, I wondered if I should build another invention. To tell you the truth, I think I was finished. My next one would probably be a fail and explode. But then even if I were to invent something, _what_ should I invent? I was fresh out of ideas. I already did a Remote-Controlled TV, Flying Car, and Hair Un-bladder. What else was there? A new breed of animals? Food raining from the sky? I wasn't a mad scientist. So none of that. I'd rather stick to normal (you call a RC TV normal?).

But then I saw something bigger than a squirrel scramble up a tree so fast, that I didn't have time to see what it was. A cat? No one in the neighborhood owned a cat.

"First someone steals my sandwich, then someone's following me, taps me on the shoulder and now I'm seeing mutant squirrels. What a morning." I blew out a sigh and climbed into the elevator of my lab. Instantly I closed the door and the elevator zoomed up. I was scared, just as I was nervous. It had to be someone quick, who was following me. When the elevator came to my lab level, I shoved the door open and walked into my lab. Slowly, I fell on my bed and laid my hand over my eyes. _Maybe I'm insane. Yes, that's right, soon I'll be saying I'm seeing my mom's ghost!_ I thought to myself and closed my eyes. I just needed to relax.

_THUD!_

"What was that?" I gasped and sprang up to my feet. My eyes scanned the lab. One of my school textbooks lay on the ground, when it was supposed to be on the table. Goosebumps ran down my arms. Someone was in my lab. Oh no. Wait, but how did they get inside my lab? If they had been following me around town, then they should have gotten here when I did. Unless they saw me distracted by the mutant squirrel and ran ahead.

"Come out, whoever you are! I have a textbook and I'm not afraid to use it!" I snapped and picked up my textbook. The textbook was one of those with 700 pages. If I hit someone on the head with this, they'd be knocked out cold. Well, they'd deserve it. No need to follow me around.

"I'm counting to three and then gonna throw something!" I called out louder and glanced around. Nothing in my lab moved. There was no noise either. They were either too scared to move or were deaf.

"Scared are you? 1…2…" I began to count and that's when I saw something dart out of my 'junk' box and sprint under my pile of scrap metal. Was that the mutant squirrel? No it couldn't be. But a squirrel _could_ steal a sandwich. But tap me on the shoulder? That was ridiculous. I came over slowly to my pile of scrap metal and slowly lifted a piece. Instantly, something pounced on me and knocked me over.

"What the—" I began to say, but my voice was muffled. I lay on the floor and looked up to see someone—um more like something, sitting on my chest. It wasn't a mutant squirrel, but a small monkey. He had huge orange eyes, and brown and white fur. He looked down at me then poked my face with his finger.

"Where did you come from?" I asked and sat up. The monkey slid off my chest and fell with a _humph_ on the floor. His orange eyes glanced up at me in confusion. Then he said something in his own language. I blinked and reached out to pet him. He drew back and muttered something in his language again.

"Well, I'm Flint Lockwood." I smiled at him. He cocked his head to the side like a puppy and smiled back. Then he approached me again. I suddenly understood. This monkey belonged to the acrobat. But what was I supposed to do with him. I couldn't let him outside, or he'd freeze. He probably came from a warmer place. Then I reached out to pet him again and this time he let me. His fur was soft and fluffy.

Smiling, I got up and went to find something to make a bed out of for him. He followed close behind. At one point he jumped up onto my shoulder and I felt nervous. I didn't know how to take care of a monkey. But this was a while, right? I rummaged through my things and found him an extra pillow. He saw the pillow and pounced on it. I laughed and adjusted it for him. When he curled up on it and fell asleep, I watched him. What should I name him? Coco? Too girly. Bob? Too common. Fluffy? That's a good name for a cat. Not a monkey. Wait. I got it.

"I'll call you Steve." I told him and gently patted him on the head. He lifted his sleepy head to look at me and a soft smile spread across his face. When I made sure he was really asleep, I crept out of my lab and went into the house through the back door. Dad was in the kitchen rummaging through drawers. He saw me and a look of relief crossed his face.

"What did you do in town?" he asked and took some tape out of the drawer.

"Drank some coffee and walked around. Hey dad? If I had a pet and kept it in my lab, would you be okay with it?" I asked and rocked on my toes. Dad could tell something was up, because he folded his arms across his chest and gave me 'the look'.

"What pet did you get?" he demanded.

"I didn't get it. It followed me. It's a monkey." I answered and knew what was coming. Dad wouldn't let me keep Steve because he was a monkey. Then he'd probably give his whole speech on _why_ I can't have him.

"A monkey? Flint, if a crocodile followed you home, would you take it in?" dad raised his eyebrow and glanced at me. I bit my lip and looked to the floor. He had a point, but something about this monkey made me feel sure, that it wasn't that bad. But then a crocodile wouldn't too bad. Still it was what the adults always did. Always bombarded you with questions, and then you don't know how to answer.

"No." I finally muttered and wouldn't look up. There came a loud sigh from dad and I was sure he would make me kick Steve out of the lab. But he sighed again.

"I'll let you keep him on two conditions. One, you take care of him yourself. Two, we need to take him to the clinic to get a checkup sometime this week." Dad told me. I beamed and ran over and gave dad a big thank you hug. Then I ran out of the kitchen and back up to my lab.

Now there was finally someone I could call a friend. I didn't need to join any football teams to have a lot of friends. Besides, Denis was my friend. And I guess Brent was somewhere under that category. Uh… kinda. But now I had Steve. Someone to help me around the lab and be there 24/7. Though I wished I could understand what he was saying…


	13. Chapter 13: Troublemaker

Have you wondered yet, why Earl was so nice to me? I mean, you know him as always yelling at me and keeping a watchful eye on me. Well I… Um….Something happened at his wedding. And I have to do with it. After what had happened at the wedding, he watched me close and became the Earl you know. The Earl's wedding happened a year and 3 months later. That meant that I was now in 10th grade and it was January.

This also meant that I had now lived with Steve for a whole year (and 3 months). I got used to him constantly speaking to me in his monkey language. But he was a handful. For the first month he lived with me was a disaster. After that, he became tamer. But in the first month something happened. I would never forget it. And even if I did remember, it made me laugh. Here's what happened:

I was writing an essay for English and I was very proud of my work. It was probably the best thing I ever wrote. After proofreading the essay, I put it into my English folder and left the lab to into the house for dinner. Steve was eating his dinner in the lab. When I returned to get my essay to show dad, my English folder was gone. Later I found it on the floor. Steve was holding my essay in his small hands.

"Steve, please hand me the paper." I asked him. I didn't want to anger him, or he might shred it. At the thought of that, I winced. But Steve shook his head and climbed up onto my shelf, where I couldn't reach him.

"Steve, please hand the paper to me. I need it. It took me hours to write it." I widened my eyes at him. He blinked and muttered something in his language. I wish I knew what he was saying.

"I'm going to count to 3. If you don't come down, I'll come up there and get _you_." I warned him in a serious voice. His forehead crumpled in confusion and he stared at me.

"1…2…" I began to count. Steve held the paper tighter and shook his head as if he understood everything I was saying. Then I grabbed a chair and leaned it against the shelf.

"…3!" I finally said and glared at him. He looked down at my essay. Meanwhile, I had climbed on the chair and now my hands gripped the edge of the shelf. But Steve looked up at me and a wide, mischievous grin spread across his face. I watched him and held my hand out, so he can give me my essay back. But to my horror, he took the essay and stuffed it in his mouth. I screamed and tried to grab him. But he jumped off the shelf and onto the floor.

"STEVE!" I shouted and jumped off the chair and began to chase him around the lab. He started to chew the essay in his mouth and I swear I wanted to throttle him. When I finally cornered him, he _swallowed _the essay. I let out a howl and covered my face with my hands. Steve then understood what he did and approached me. He barfed out a small scrap of my essay and gave it to me. I looked up at him and smiled. He just didn't understand.

But the next day at school, the whole class sat proudly with their essays in front of them. I sat with nothing. I had tried to rewrite the essay, but couldn't. So I gave up. When my English teacher went around collecting the essays, she glanced over at me and saw my essay-less desk. Then she came over and planted her hands on her hips.

"Lockwood, where is your essay?" she demanded.

"My monkey ate my homework." I said and the whole class leaned in their seats, as if they couldn't believe what I had just said. My teacher's eyes widened. Then her eyes hardened and she pursed her lips, annoyingly. The students in the class; who knew I owned Steve were hoping she believed me. But the rest of the class just stared at me.

"Lockwood," she breathed out heavily, "That was the lamest excuse; I have ever heard, other than 'my dog ate my homework'. I'll have to call your father."

The class goggled their eyes at me and I just smiled. Dad knew about Steve and I had told him earlier that he ate my essay. I couldn't wait to see my teacher's expression tomorrow when she came up to me and said sorry. That my monkey actually ate my homework. Imagine I actually owned a dog, and had said 'my dog ate my homework'. That would be hilarious. I wondered who came up with the saying anyway.

Well that's what happened in the first month with Steve. After that, he didn't come close to any of my homework and listened to everything I said. Though I still wished I knew what he told me. Sometimes, he'd lie in his small bed at night and just talk to himself. I'd listen and then I'd fall asleep to his talking. Now a year (and three months) later, Steve was used to me and I was used to him.

That January, Earl was planning to get married to his girlfriend; Regina **(Author's note: This is her REAL name. Not made up)**. The wedding was held in the chapel and after in a heated dome that was used for weddings and town meetings in the winter. The whole town was invited (which wasn't too much) and even the people who moved in from the states. I wore my tux and dad did too. Dad also made me flatten my hair. Said I looked 'proper' that way. Steve wanted to come too. I decided to leave him in the car. A wedding was no place for a monkey.

"Flint, maybe you should just leave Steve at home. He might climb out of the car." Dad told me as we drove to the chapel.

"Not of you lock the doors." I told him back.

"Well he might unlock the car from the inside." Dad gripped the steering wheel and drove into the chapel's parking lot.

"He's not that smart." I blew out a sigh and turned my body to see what Steve was doing in the backseat. He was talking to his teddy bear. I smiled and got out of the car. Dad followed. We locked the car and went into the chapel. My mind still worried for Steve as we got seated. To tell the truth, he was pretty smart. But to open the lock from the inside… He just might.

All through all the services and when the 'I do' was return back and forth between Regina and Earl, I was worried. For Steve. He could get bored in the car with his teddy bear. But I had also put some of his other toys under the seat. Hopefully he'd find those. When Earl flipped Regina's veil and kissed her, we all rose to our feet and applauded. I figured Steve would be fine and forgot about him for a while. The after party took place in the heated dome. The dome was huge; the size of a football field. As everyone stepped out into the snow to run into the dome, I ran to the car to peek inside. Steve was curled up asleep. He'd probably sleep until the party ends.

Inside the dome, it was beautifully decorated. The floor was oak and the dance floor was glass. Round tables were around the dome, covered in white tablecloths and expensive dinner sets. Then there were long tables covered in food. A stage was across the room and a band was tweaking their instruments.

"Flint, we sit over there." Dad pointed to a table close to the dance floor. I nodded and followed. Name cards were on each plate. I sat between dad and… I glanced at the name card and sighed. It said _Brent McHale_. I walked over to Brent's other side and glanced at that name card: _Mayor Shelbourne_. Oh great. I mean Brent wasn't too great, but dining with the Mayor sitting across from you was…scary.

"Please, take your seats!" Regina then came up on stage and held a microphone in her hands. The whole town instantly ran to find their seats. I took my seat and dad did too. Soon Brent arrived in a tux too. He flopped down beside me and I held my breath. The Mayor strolled in too and sat down across from me. He wore a really dark blue suit. It was so dark, that it was even darker than navy blue. Almost black.

"I want to thank everyone who managed to come to our wedding. It's a pleasure meeting you all and I hope you all enjoy your dinner. We'll make a toast later. First everyone, have a great dinner!" Regina smiled into the microphone.

At the same time, waiters came in and grabbed the dishes off the long tables. They began walking around and stopping at tables to serve. More waiters came around to pour the white wine. Brent and I sat there watching the Mayor and my dad drink. Then we began to eat.

"So you're not joining football anymore? Chickened out?" Brent snickered as he cut his salmon. For the wedding, the Mayor had shipped over a few good foods for the wedding. Salmon, sliced bread, caviar, a Greek salad, and the wedding cake. This all seemed like nothing to you, but to the citizens of Swallow Falls, this was amazing.

"I have better things to do." I snapped and ate some of the salad. I hadn't noticed that someone—something, crawled under table. It was Steve. But back then I didn't know it was him. I didn't even notice him crawling under the table.

"Like what, nerd?" Brent demanded and stabbed his salad angrily. That comment stung. But I ignored the comment.

"None of your business." I turned away and continued to eat. Brent snorted and turned away too. Meanwhile, Steve crawled under the table and onto the next table. He was hungry. And there was food everywhere. As he crawled under another table, he peeked out and saw the wedding cake standing on a trolley. His eyes lit up and he licked his lips.

But in the room were dogs too. They came with their owners. There were three giant German Shepherds sitting near the back of the room, eating salmon from dishes. One of the dogs sniffed Steve out and was now raising his nose in the air. The others glanced at him and he barked something to them. They all looked across the room to where Steve was staring at the wedding cake. Steve suddenly turned his head to where the dogs were glancing at him.

"Hmm?" Steve blinked and fear crossed his face. All three dogs now stood up and raised their hackles angrily. Steve's eyes widened and he slowly began to move away.

One of the dogs let out a loud bark and some people turned to look. No one had seen Steve yet. Then the dogs barked once again and raced across the dome after Steve.

Steve let out a frightened squeak and raced off too. Now guests were looking under their tables as the dogs ran around.

"WHO'S DOGS ARE THOSE?" Earl hollered as he stood up and scanned the surprised guests. One dog managed to run under a chair and knocked a woman to the ground. Another knocked over a trolley filled with wine glasses. The trolley tipped and there came the great shattering of wine glasses. The third dog was still chasing Steve.

"They're mine!" came the voice of a man who stood up and began to chase the dogs. Steve meanwhile was aiming to get the wedding cake. He ran around the dome, then turned around and ran the other way. The third dog let out a howl as he skidded on the glass dance floor and fell flat on his face.

I was on my feet trying to get a look at what the dogs were chasing. A brown blur zoomed past our table and my stomach dropped. I knew it was Steve. Fear built inside me and I saw where Steve was running. The wedding cake. Oh god.

"CATCH THE CAKE!" I yelled, just as Steve ran past the trolley with the cake. The trolley was tipping. Earl gasped and jumped into the air. He caught the cake and landed safely. When he placed the cake on the table, he caught Steve and raised him.

"_FLINT LOCKWOOD!" _Earl shouted. He knew Steve belonged to me. I shrunk down in my seat. I was screwed.

That's pretty much how Earl came to dislike me.


	14. Chapter 14: Buttons and VDay

**Author's note: Since today is Valentine's Day, I'll try my best to make this chapter in February, which a month after the wedding! Happy Valentine's Day to everyone out there!**

You couldn't believe in how much trouble I had gotten myself into. Now it was February, and people had forgotten what happened at the wedding, but I still remembered it. After Earl had lifted Steve into the air by his scruff and yelled out my name, I knew I was seriously in for it. Everyone in the room had turned to glance at me. I stood up and met everyone's glares. My dad was covering his face with his hands and shaking his head. Brent was smirking. The Mayor was grinning his stupid evil smile.

Then I had come up to Earl and he gave me Steve. I was to take Steve home. Dad got up to drive us back. Earl wanted me to return to the wedding after, but I decided to stay in my lab for the night. I couldn't bear the guests watching me all night. In my lab I took my tux jacket and stood there in my white shirt and ironed black pants. Steve sat on the floor holding his tail nervously.

"Steve. Do you realize what you have done?" I spun around and glared at him. He hung his head as if understanding everything I had said.

"We've—I mean YOU ruined part of the wedding! I mean if it was a Town Meeting I wouldn't care. But this was a _wedding_. This is much worse than eating my essay!" I cried out and went over to my open window. I gripped the window sill and watched the stars form in the sky. Then I angrily reached up and messed up my flattened hair. It became spiky again. I sighed, when I heard Steve mumble something behind me.

"But then I guess it's my fault. I should have put food in the car." I moved away from the window and went to get my lab coat hanging from the chair. But as I reached out to grab it, and it caught on the edge of the chair. I pulled it harder and heard a rip. My eyes widened as I now held the coat in my hands.

I looked it over, until I finally found that one of the buttons had ripped off. The button wasn't on the floor, either. It had rolled away. My finger went over the small rip where the button was. I had just lost a button from my lab coat. What have I done? I fell to the floor on my knees and gripped the lab coat tightly. Steve slowly came over to me and glanced at the lab coat.

He said something in a sad voice and I looked at him. Then he ran over to my closet at the back of the lab and shoved the doors open. Inside the closet, he found one of my winter coats and ripped a button off the winter coat. Then he ran over to me and handed me the button.

"Thank you, Steve. Thanks a lot." I took the button and smiled at him. Steve blinked as I held the button then he continued to watch me. He looked from the button and back to me. I smiled and got up. He followed. I knew that somewhere I kept a sewing kit. Don't ask why. But I had kept in just in case. As I searched for the kit, I had forgotten all about the wedding. Steve may be a troublemaker, but I could see that he had a big heart.

"Found it!" I pulled out a small box from the bottom of my closet. Slowly, I sat cross-legged on the floor and Steve sat down beside me. With interest, he watched me pull out a needle and some white thread. My mom had once shown me how to sow on buttons, but it was fuzzy. I only remembered part of the process.

"I hope it holds on." I whispered and began to loop the needle with the thread through the tiny holes in the button. The button was a very light green. So light, that it was very faint. Almost white. Steve watched me closely. His eyes grew wide, when I finished and put the lab coat on.

"See? All fixed." I replied happily, but on the inside I had a mixture of sad feelings. I had ripped off a button. And my mom had given me the coat. I sighed and looked down at Steve; who had crawled under my shelf.

"Steve?" I asked and crouched down to see what he was doing under the shelf. When he immerged with the real lab coat button, I took the button. A small smile crinkled its way onto my face. I dropped the button into my pocket and then gave Steve a big hug. Who knew what I'd do without him?

xxx

Now it was February. Valentine's was tomorrow. I was sitting in my lab sketching out a plan for a new invention. I would call it The Monkey Thought Translator. That way, I could understand what Steve was thinking and what he was constantly trying to tell me. Right now, he sat on the tabletop watching me. Then he watched me run around my lab grabbing things and slowly constructing the translator. But it was only a rough design of the translator.

"Steve, come here." I told him and beckoned for him to come to me. He smiled and bounded over to me. I took out a tape measure and measured all around his head. He watched me with frightened eyes.

"Steve it's just a tape measure!" I laughed. I put the tape measure down and went to write down my measurements. Meanwhile, Steve picked up the tape measure and came up to me. Holding it, he climbed onto my shoulder and wrapped the tape measure around my head. I laughed and tried to take him off. But he moved away and began saying something in monkey talk as he measured my head.

"Steve! Okay, get off, before you fall." I chuckled and he climbed down from my shoulder. Then he began to measure my foot. After ran off to measure his bed. I watched him play with the tape measure. I couldn't wait to hear what he had to say. That is if the invention worked. And tomorrow was also Valentine's Day.

"But I have no girlfriend." I sighed to myself and took my screwdriver to screw in a screw on the translator.

I imagined coming to school and watching all the girls gush over all the guys. Mostly the football players. But I was a former football player. Did that count? Shaking my head I tried not to think about tomorrow. But it was hard doing that. Thank goodness Steve was there to distract me. A loud _BOOM!_ came from where Steve was. I turned around and found him covered in soot.

"STEVE! DON'T TOUCH THAT!" I wailed and ran after him…

Valentine's Day morning. I wished I could stay in bed. The only thing I looked forward to was testing my new invention afterschool. I doubted it, that a girl would ask me out. If someone did, I would be happy. But I still doubted it. Stretching, I stumbled into my closet and grabbed something. No lab coat today. Then I went out of my lab and ran barefoot across the snow-covered backyard, screaming as the cold pierced my feet.

"Morning, Flint!" Dad told me and he smiled at me. I told him a quick 'morning' back and ran into the bathroom. As quick as I could, I washed up and then finally took a look at the clothes I took without looking. Oh, they weren't too bad. Jeans, my favorite white shirt and a dark blue hoodie. I got dressed as fast as I could and dashed into the kitchen. Dad placed a plate of something in front of me.

"Dad, what is this?" I asked and stared at the weird thing on my plate. It LOOKED like a pancake. But it wasn't golden brown. Instead it was gray. And smelled funny.

"Sardine pancakes." My dad beamed and took a bite out of his. Dad didn't seem to be fainting, so I guess they were good. I winced and cut a piece of the pancake. Why couldn't Swallow Falls get normal pancakes shipped here? The shippings had stopped again and the Mayor was getting rich for once with his sardines.

But when the gray stuff touched my tongue, I felt sick. But not to hurt my dad's feelings, I swallowed. They tasted something like mashed up sardines fried up with maple syrup. And yes I had once tried maple syrup. When I was very little. When a few bottles had hit the supermarket, one bottle cost $100. It was insane.

"I-its great dad!" I lied and dad beamed.

"Glad you like it! I'll make more tomorrow!" he smiled and finished his pancake and reached for seconds. I sighed and forcefully finished the rest of the pancake. Then, I gulped down some water and grabbed my backpack.

Time to face school. Oi. I wished I could stay home today. But when I put I put on my black parka and winter boots over my spray-on shoes, I knew that if I didn't go to school, I'd be sitting home wishing I had gone. And taking care of Steve. Sighing, I opened the front door and stepped out into the freezing February cold. The wind smacked my face and snow made it harder to see.

"Why couldn't I ask dad to drive me?" I asked myself as I trudged through the snow. Then I heard someone call my name. I turned and squinted through the blizzard. A dark blue car was honking at me and someone was calling me.

"You need a ride to school?" someone called from inside the car. I nodded and made my way to the car. By now I know what you're thinking. It could be a stranger in the car or some psycho. But in Swallow Falls everyone knew each other and there was no such thing as stranger. But when I approached the car, I saw that it was one of those small ones with no backseat. Only two seats. It wasn't a Smart Car that was for sure. So I climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door behind me. The car instantly sped off toward the direction of the high school.

"Damn snow." The driver spoke up and startled I glanced at the driver. Oh great. My insides turned and I gulped. I wished I had walked through the blizzard, than to get into a car with the Mayor. He drove _way_ over the speed limit. We dodged a car and the Mayor cursed under his breath.

"You could have gotten us killed!" I shouted and he missed another car. We were only a few inches away from a car crash.

"Will you shut up and stop complaining? I'm trying to get you on time!" he snapped back and this time his car slammed into another car and his bumper flew off. The other car had a gash on the door. I closed my eyes and began to pray I won't end up dead by today. But my eyes snapped open, when I heard mad honking behind us. The Mayor had decided not to wait in traffic, but instead drove into the other lane.

The high school was ahead and the Mayor swiveled into the school parking lot. Even if it said that around the school you had to drive 20km/h, he drove in at 100km/h. He stopped the car and I got out.

"Thank you." I said and he nodded. The moment I closed the door, he drove away once again. What a weird morning so far. I started up the school steps and now I felt like I was riding in the Mayor's car again. I was really nervous. For what, I really couldn't tell.

As I made my way to my locker, all I saw were red hearts plastered everywhere and couples walking around all over. There were few single souls out there. The football team's lockers were located near mine. I saw them all sitting around with girls clustered around. All except Denis.

"What's wrong?" I came over to him.

"Oh, hi Flint. I'm alone this Valentine's Day." He replied sadly.

"Me too." I nodded solemnly.

"You? I was sure girls would be running after you like maniacs!" Denis raised an eyebrow at me.

"_ME_? No way!" I shook my head. Denis laughed.

"Oh don't worry. You'll find someone. And guess what we are doing for gym class today?" Denis grinned and I saw his eyes flicker with something.

"What?" I asked and suddenly felt worried.

"They are going to pair the guys up with the girls, and they are going to make us practice waltzing!" Denis laughed, but then his smile faded, "I can't even dance."

"WALTZING? Do we have to?" I gasped and Denis nodded. What a day this was turning out. Sardine pancakes for breakfast; almost get killed while being driven by the Mayor and now we will be doing _waltzing_ for gym. The waltzing sounds the worst. We are in the 21st century! Not the medieval times!


	15. Chapter 15: Marie & a finished invention

I had gym last period. Worst thing ever. I mean it wasn't that bad, it was just seriously awkward. Here's what happened. Everyone entered the gym, and the guys instantly ran to one side and the girls at the other. Then our gym teacher came in. She told us we were doing waltzing and the guys started to protest. We demanded to know why we had to waltz. She just said it was something she wanted to do for Valentine's Day. Then she asked if we'd rather run laps. All the guys screamed 'yes!'All the girls yelled out 'no!'

Well the girls ended up winning. Ugh. The gym teacher told each guy to step up and then for a girl to come up. Then Brent stepped up.

"Can't we dance with our girlfriends?" he demanded, when his current girlfriend got paired up with some other football player.

"Sorry, McHale." The gym teacher wrote something down on her clipboard and then paired him up. I stood there behind all guys looking down at the floor. Maybe if I snuck out and then I wouldn't have to dance. But then the gym teacher called out my name and I came out onto the middle of the gym floor.

All the guys around me stood with girls. I was paired up with the last girl. She walked forward and stood in front of me. Her hair was light brown and fell in wavy locks around her shoulders. When she looked up at me, she was frowning. I didn't smile either. Her eyes were like clear ocean waters. Something about her was so familiar it was almost scary.

"Gentlemen, place one hand on the lady's waist and with your other hand take her hand. Ladies, with your other hand place it on the gentlemen's shoulder." Our gym teacher called out and all the guys groaned.

"Don't complain! It'll come in handy in the future!" our teacher stomped her foot. I didn't see the purpose of this class. But I did as I was told and I saw the girl was blushing; almost turning deep red. I knew that I'd never get a girlfriend anyway. Might not ever get married, so I saw a sad future for me. I'd probably be inventing until I died, and maybe sell my successful inventions around the world.

Our teacher turned on a flipped in a CD into her CD player and a song slowly leaked out of the CD player. The teacher dimmed the lights. The girl and I began to slowly move across the gym. I knew the song it was "Storm" by Alexander Perls. **(Real song)** Emotion filled me and instead of thinking of the girl in front of me, I thought of the girl from the summer school program. She was who I wished I danced with now. But she was in New York. Maybe I should just forget about her.

"Uh, Flint? You're zoning out." The girl I was dancing with whispered. I turned and looked down at her. I nodded and concentrated on the waltz. But it was hard doing that.

xxx

I walked home with the wind and snow in my face. The snow was so strong that I could barely keep my eyes open. The snow was coming down harder and harder with each minute. My fingers were becoming literally frozen, so I dug them deep into my pockets. The path in front of me was gone too. Maybe I could turn back and head to the school. But I had to keep going. Steve would be wondering where I was. And I had to test the invention. I had been looking forward to it. Then I saw someone walking toward me. I couldn't exactly see if it was a guy or girl, but they soon reached me. It was the girl I had danced with earlier. She was wearing a light blue parka and a hat on her head. When she saw me, she smiled weakly and I wondered what she was doing out here.

"Don't you have a ride home?" I shouted over the howling over the wind.

"No! My dad is a bastard and won't pick me up." She shivered and I nodded.

"Where do you live?" I shouted again.

"On Main Street!" she shouted back. A harder wind blew and we both covered our faces with our hands. I didn't know what to do. Main Street was a pretty far walk. But she was stuck out here too. Both of us had to walk home through the blizzard. She then pointed at a light in the distance. We had no choice, so we began to trudge toward the light. It turned out to be a gas station.

The roof over the gas station was lit up in light. The store near the gas station was closed. We came under the roof and instantly it was easier to see. Now we were out of the snow and wind. But the cold still pierced at our skin. The girl went over and huddled at the door of the store.

"The door is heated!" she called to me. Nodding, I came over and sat down beside her. Warm air pushed its way into my jacket and spread through my body. The girl stopped shivering and took her hat off.

"What a day, huh? I hate dancing and now I'm stuck under a gas station roof, almost frozen. Plus it's Valentine's Day. Well, not that I care." The girl replied under her breath. She brought her knees to her chest and blew out a sigh. Her breath came out in small puffs.

"Yep," I agreed then I spoke up again, "Not to get personal or anything, but you said your dad can't pick you up. What about your mom?"

The girl stiffened and she stopped breathing for moment. Her eyes grew wide and her face went pale. Then she wiggled nervously in her spot and finally looked up. I could tell she wasn't comfortable about the subject. She might not have a mom, for all I knew.

"I live with my dad. I think my mom is dead, but I don't know. He never mentions her and well… he hardly mentions anything to me. I'm invisible to him. He sometimes tells me things, but its rare." She whispered and I felt horrible for asking that question. She had no mother and her dad didn't care about her. I'm sure there was a part of him that cared. But then she realized what she had told me and spoke up.

"What about your parents?" she asked.

"My mom died when I was 12. The sardine factory was on fire. I live with my dad. He cares a lot about me. Expect for the things I invent." I told her and she sighed. Then she told me she remembered my Remote Controlled TV. Smiling to myself, I wondered if that thing was still out there somewhere. Hopefully more circuits broke and the thing was dead. There was a silence between us. We just sat and watched it get darker out in the snowy scenery. At least the blare of the neon lights from the gas station roof gave us light to see.

"Do you have a cellphone? I want to call my dad." She then turned to me. I said yes and dug through my backpack. I pulled out my cell and she didn't even question why it was so big and strange. She just got up, flipped it open and went out of earshot to talk to her dad. While she was talking, I wondered who her father was. Maybe he had the same brown hair and clear blue eyes. Maybe not. Maybe she looked like her mother.

"Thanks. He said he can't pick me up and I'll have to walk home." She handed my phone back to me and I saw worry in her eyes.

"Walk? You can't walk home in this blizzard?" I got up and she shrugged.

"Well you are." She pointed out. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and got ready to go. I wasn't planning to stay under the gas station roof all night.

"Well then, let's go." I motioned out into the snow and she pulled her hat back on. When we stepped out from under the gas station roof, it had miraculously stopped snowing. Just like that. We grinned at each other and began to walk home. Our paths were the same. When I'd reach my street, she'd have to keep on walking straight. So we set off and watched streetlamps flicker on as we walked.

"Do you have any siblings?" I asked her.

"Uh… Kinda… I call him my brother, but we aren't blood related. We kind of adopted him…" she stuttered and there was another silence.

"What your name? You never told me your name. I mean you know mine…" I asked her and she nodded.

"Marie. I use my mother's last name. When she married my dad, she didn't change her last name, so I was forced to have her last name. My dad said I can't have his last name, for hundreds of reasons. He never told me the reasons why." She told me. Marie sounded like a really sad person. I felt really bad for her. But now that I knew so much about her, I couldn't help but wondering who her father was.

"Well, this is your street. Goodbye then?" she smiled. I stopped zoning out and quickly nodded. As I veered onto my street, she hitched her backpack over her other shoulder and continued on. When I approached the front door of my house, dad instantly slammed the door open and his eyes widened when he saw me.

"Flint! Are you okay? Where have you been?" he demanded and I told him about sitting under the gas station roof. He nodded understandably and let me into the house. The warm air blasted at me and my frozen fingers burned as the cold left them. As I removed my winter coat and soaked boots I looked down at my spray-on shoes. They had remained dry.

Dad gave me dinner (sardine stew: it actually tasted pretty good. Dad had bought some expensive spices and mixed them in). After, dad went off to bed and I went through the back door and into the backyard. The cool air once again hit me as I made my way into my lab. Steve must me starving. I opened the elevator door and marched down the tunnel. Steve instantly ran over to me with hungry eyes. Laughing, I went to get his monkey food (I used dog kibbles. My vet gave me the meatless ones). When I poured them into Steve's bowl, he dove into them and all you could hear were satisfied crunches.

Then I FINALLY moved on to working on my invention. Even if the invention was much smaller than all my other inventions, it was very detailed on the inside. I was making sure that I didn't make any mistakes. Then I had to make a head band with wires in it that understood Steve's brain messages and carried them over to the actual translator.

"Wiring."

"Twisting."

"Screwing."

"Placing microchip."

"Connecting."

"Staring… Stuck."

"OH! Adjusting volume."

"Adding battery holder and AA battery."

"Clamping shut."

"Done!" I grinned and held the translator in my hand. It was the size of my palm. My eyes traveled to the clock on my computer and saw how late it was. Had I really been working for so long? I turned around to find Steve already fast asleep on his pillow. That meant we'll have to test the translator tomorrow. Oh! Maybe tomorrow we'll have no school because of the snow. But then it had stopped snowing, so we might have school.

Stretching, I put the invention away and felt that I have accomplished a lot today. Now it was off to bed. But before I did that, I knew how I could find out that Marie's father was. I know I was supposed to be minding my own business, but curiosity was getting the best of me. I went over to my bookshelf, which only had the yearly _The Island of Swallow Falls _books. Each year, in January everyone in the town got a copy. The book listed the population, family trees, list of all citizens, events happening in the year, birthdays, a phone book in the back, and the history of the town.

"Her name is Marie." I opened to the list of all the people living in the town. My eyes scanned each name. I found two 'Maries'. The ages beside the names helped. One Marie was 88 and the other was 15. The fifteen year old was who I was looking for. I glanced at the last name.

_Oreant. _That was her last name. This meant this was her mother's last name. I flipped to the family tree section and looked up the last name. There was a small family tree and I looked up her mother. _Angelica Oreant._ My eyes traveled to the name of who Angelica married. When I saw the name, I actually yelped and fell out of my chair.

"This can't be! THIS CANNOT BE! Why didn't I guess? Oh my god." I sat on the floor covering my face with my hands. I knew she looked familiar! But why hadn't known? Her 'brother'? I knew who that was too.


	16. Chapter 16: Monkey Thought Translator

**Author's Note: Remember in the movie where Flint is ordering breakfast and asks everyone what they want for breakfast; Steve says "GUMMYBEARS!"? Well after that, Flint says "Steve no. We both know how you get around gummybears!" Well in this chapter, Steve tries gummybears for the first time. Big Mistake =)**

I sat on the floor clutching my head and rocking back and forth. Maybe I shouldn't have looked her name up. But I had and now I felt so horribly bad for her, it was insane. Her father was Mayor Shelbourne. Oh the bastard. But as I thought about it… some lady once loved him and married him? That just made things worse. To think he actually had a warm heart once upon a time? I imagined the Mayor sitting on the couch with his wife watching a movie. I couldn't. Instead I saw him running around the town at night; drunk.

This also meant that Brent was her 'brother'. If I couldn't stand a class with him, imagine LIVING with him. Oh my god. She was probably living hell. Then what had happened to her mother? Did the Mayor do something to her? Or did she just…die. But c'mon, people didn't JUST DIE! Her mother must have been young! Then I thought about Marie sitting in her bedroom. What was it like living there? I had so many questions, but I knew not all of them could be answered.

Instead I went to bed. Tomorrow was Saturday.

xxx

Dad didn't want to leave me home the next day, because he said he might need my help around the shop. I agreed to come. But I had also brought the video camera, Steve and The Monkey Thought Translator. As dad was shelving some cans of sardines, I began to set up the camera. As I was doing so, dad was watching me closely. He knew I had brought an invention to test. And he was also freaked out. I assured him nothing would happen. But things had happened to my previous inventions.

Let's just hope that nothing happens.

I got the camera all set up then grabbed Steve and seated him on the counter (in front of the camera). But he gave me a look and tried to get away. I realized he was hungry. But I didn't have any of his food with me. And the store only sold sardines. But Steve just kept on giving me this really dirty look. I knew that if I didn't feed him, he wouldn't cooperate. Sighing I went over to my dad.

"Dad you got any kind of food, that isn't sardines?" I asked. Dad raised his eyebrow slightly. I explained that it was for Steve and not for me. Nodding he went to the back of his store and returned with a small package. I read the label.

"_Gummybears?_ Dad, that's too much sugar. Steve will be so hyper; I won't be able to control him!" I exclaimed and took the package. Dad shrugged.

"It's all I got, son." He frowned and went back to shelving cans. Blowing out an annoyed sigh, I came over to Steve. Slowly, I ripped the package open and pulled out a green gummybear. Steve's eyes lit up. He reached his small hands out. Nervously, I gave him the gummybear. He stuffed it into his mouth and quickly swallowed. Then a comical grin spread on his face. The sugar had obviously reached his brain. Grinning at me, he held out his little hands, for another one. This was the last one I will give him. Or else he'll be bouncing around the shop like a little rocket. This time I gave him a red one. He ate that one so fast, that it was barely 2 seconds. Then I put the bag of gummybears into my lab coat pocket.

"Now we have to test my invention, Steve." I told him and motioned him to sit in front of the camera. He sat down with a curious look on his face, as I took out The Monkey Thought Translator and hung it on his chest. Then I put the head band on his head. Steve remained silent. Taking a deep breath, I turned the camera on. The red light flashed.

"Monkey Thought Translator!" I waved my hands in front of the camera and turned the translator by pressing a tiny button on the device on Steve's chest. Instantly, Steve pricked up and his eyes went all wide. He began to twitch his head left and right.

"Hungry, Hungry." Steve replied in a strange voice. Joy filled me. It was working!

"How wise." I grinned at the camera.

But suddenly Steve jumped up at the camera and knocked it sideways. Then he ran to were my dad was stacking cans. Steve pounced over a couple of shelves and knocked them over in the process. The shelves in the shop tumbled down one after another like dominoes.

"Steve, no, no, no, no, STEVE, NO !" I was crying out as my dad was spinning around to see what Steve was doing. Then hyper Steve jumped on my dad and frightened my dad kept turning around to see what Steve was doing. I was running around my dad to try to stop Steve, but he had crawled onto my dad's shoulder and just like that… ripped more than half of my dad's mustache off.

A roar of pain escaped my dad and Steve just jumped up and down on my dad's shoulder. I winced and thought how painful that could be. The store was a mess and Steve was being a troublemaker once again. But on the bright side, my invention had worked. I now could hear Steve's thoughts, but I don't think it was the gummybears that did that. Maybe they did boost up his sugar level, but a little shock from the headband must have zapped Steve's brain.

"STEVE, NO! BAD MONKEY! BAD, BAD MONKEY! COME HERE RIGHT NOW!" I shouted at him. But Steve jumped off my dad's shoulder and ran out the front door. My dad stood there rubbing the spot where his mustache previously was. A look of pain and terror was in his widened eyes.

"Flint Lockwood. You are grounded until I don't know when. Until my mustache grows back." My dad replied. He tried to say it as calmly as possible (he hated yelling), but it stung when I heard the venom in his voice. Slowly I nodded and began to pick up the cans on the floor.

"No. Leave the cans alone. Go find your monkey." My dad ordered and pointed to the door. He still sounded bitter. At least he still allowed me to keep Steve. Well that is, for now. Maybe when I find him, it'll be the end. Dad would make me ship Steve off the Bronx Zoo in New York City. Maybe dad will change his mind? Right now I couldn't think about that. I had to find Steve. As I slammed the front door of the store open, I scanned the street. Where did the little troublemaker go? I began to run toward Main Street. That was the most likely place. _If I were Steve, where would I go?_ I asked myself and ran faster. My lab. But Steve probably didn't want me finding him right now. He knew he was in trouble.

"Flint!" came a familiar voice. I stopped running and turned to see Marie running toward me. My stomach dropped. Yesterday at the gas station, I knew nothing. Now I knew everything. Now that I thought about her being the Mayor's daughter, it scared me.

"Hi, Marie." I nodded as she jogged over to me.

"I saw a talking monkey running down Main Street and I wondered if he was yours. Everyone says you have a pet monkey." She raised a confused eyebrow and looked at me.

"Yeah. That's Steve. I need to catch him." I told her. She beamed.

"I'll help. I don't have anything to do at home, anyway. Dad is at work…" she trailed off.

"Mayor Shelbourne! He's your father!" I blurted out. But then I realized what I had said and clamped my hand over my mouth. She slowly looked up at me and our eyes locked for a moment. She had her father's eyes. Then she opened her mouth to say something, but closed it. There was a small awkward moment of silence. Then she spoke.

"I knew you'd find out sooner or later." She whispered and then to change the morbid subject, I asked her about Steve and which way he went on Main Street.

"Oh! Well he was heading down the street. Near the docks. Or he might have gone right of the docks to the factory." She brightened up. At least her smile wasn't like her father's. She had a gentle smile and not the sly one her father had.

We began to run down the street and neither of us cared if we ran out of breath. My mind was on Steve. If he was heading to the factory that wasn't good. There were dangerous machines there and then all the boilers and gas tanks. But those were brand new, so they were highly unlikely to explode. But the machines… I didn't want Steve to get hurt in there or worse… get killed by a machine or fire. Mom had already died in the factory. One was enough. Steve was my friend and possibly the best friend anyone could ask for.

"There he is!" Marie cried out and pointed to the small figure of Steve run in the direction of the factory. I nodded when I saw him.

"Steve! STOP!" I shouted out. Steve stopped running and turned to see me. He was about to dash again. Then I had an idea. I reached into the pocket of my lab coat and pulled out the bag of gummybears. Marie grinned when she saw what I was about to do.

"Steve, gummybears?" I took a yellow one out and held it out so he could see it.

"Gummybears!" Steve shrieked and began to run toward me. The invention still seemed to work. His thoughts were working on the machine. Marie and I began to laugh as we watched Steve run toward us at full blast. He knocked me over and tackled me to the ground.

"AHHH!" I screamed in surprise, as I fell on the ground onto my back. Steve grabbed the bag from my hand and the yellow gummybear. Quickly he stuffed the gummybear into his mouth and then began to eat the ones from the bag. Imagine the energy he'll have after the whole bag. Phew, I'll be running after him all day long.

Slowly, I got up and Steve slid off my chest. I picked him up and took him into my arms. He gripped the bag in his hands dearly. Now I had to take him home and find a way to calm him down. I bet he won't even sleep tonight. Marie watched us with a soft smile on her face. She then reached out and stroked Steve's head.

"I wish I had a pet." She said and Steve glanced up at her.

"You can come and visit Steve whenever you want." I suggested. Her face lit up, but then fell and she shook her head.

"Dad would want to know where I'm going. If I told him I'm going over to your lab, he'll say no and yell at me for an hour. If I went without his permission, he'll beat me until I'm covered with bruises." She hung her head. Then she rolled up the sleeve of her winter coat and I saw a dark blue—almost purple bruise on her arm. Wincing, I felt horrible.

"We could meet here. I'll bring Steve." I suggested. She nodded and then I looked down at Steve, who was actually shivering. I was kinda cold too. The running had warmed me up, but now I realized how cold it was.

"That's too nice of you." She smiled, and then she leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. After that, she skipped away. I stood there frozen. Not from the cold, but from embarrassment. Maybe it was something else. But a small shock zipped through me. No girl has ever come close to me before. Let alone kissed me on the cheek. On the day after Valentine's Day. I grinned and began to walk home with Steve clinging onto me for warmth.

_For God's sake, she the MAYOR'S DAUGHTER!_ A voice yelled at me inside my head. I thought about that and wondered: what if the Mayor had seen her do that? I imagined him chasing me with a chainsaw until he caught me. Or sneaking up on me, and shooting me with a gun from behind. Or haunting me for the rest of my life.

"But he didn't see us!" I told myself under my breath. Just to be sure, I turned around to scan the street. No Mayor. Good.

Telling myself not to worry, I walked home humming a song under my breath. Dad said I was grounded until his mustache grew back. No problem. I would just have to adjust the Hair Un-Balder and spread some on the spot where his mustache previously was. While he slept. Oooh, that will be tough…


	17. Chapter 17: Our fathers

The small noise of feet against the hardwood floor echoed through the hallway. The house was dark and silent. All except for the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hallway. That night two brave souls were creeping around. One was in a house on Main Street and the other was in another house a few streets down. Both were doing something daring that night. But both of their houses were silent. If they made the slightest noise, one would be beat to death and the other would be grounded for life. It was me and Marie.

I was planning to spread some of my Hair Un-Bladder cream on my dad's face. Marie was going for a walk. But she wasn't allowed to. If I was caught, I didn't exactly know what would happen to me, but I'd get into a lot of trouble. If Marie was caught… well I'd rather not say.

My footsteps were as quiet as I could make them. Suddenly a floorboard creaked and I winced. My dad's bedroom door wasn't too far off. I crept toward it and carefully opened the door. It let out a loud creak and my dad rolled over onto his back.

"Please let nothing happen to me." I muttered under my breath as I slid into the room and tiptoed over to my dad. Gently, I took the Hair Un-Bladder bottle out of my pocket. Earlier I had done some adjustments. But I wasn't that the stuff will still work. Wincing, I leaned in and squeezed some of goo onto the spot where my dad's mustache was. A new one instantly grew out and I let out a sigh of relief.

But then my dad began to talk in his sleep and I thought he was about to wake up. The goo was a bit cold, so it might wake him up. My eyes widened and I dove under his bed. I heard the creak of the bed as my dad sat up in bed. Holding my breath I saw his feet dangle over the side of the bed.

"Flint? I thought I saw you. Are you in here?" my dad asked sleepily. Still holding my breath, I hoped he wouldn't look under the bed. Dad's feet fell back on the bed and I heard him mumble something about imagining things.

"Thank god." I whispered under my breath and got up from under the bed. Dad was once again asleep. Smiling to myself, I tiptoed out of the room and gently shut the door. Mission Accomplished. I officially wasn't grounded anymore.

xxx

**Marie Oreant (Shelbourne)'s POV**

The quiet hallway was eerie and long. Portraits of long dead family members hung on the walls. The carpet lining the floor was long and worn out. It was rumored that it was The Red Carpet. The Red Carpet that is at every big awards night. Yeah, I know you're probably like 'What the heck?' But I don't know either. But my dad stole The Red Carpet and spread it all over the house. They had gotten a new one to replace the old one. But that's another story.

Right now I was trying to sneak outside for some fresh air. I hated being cooped in my room. Plus dad watched over me like a hawk. It was impossible to leave the house without him asking 'Where are you going?' 'Who will be there?' 'When will you be home?' UGH! I can't stand it! So I end up brewing up some huge lie. Every time. He seems to believe me, but at the same time I don't think he fully does. Once or twice he ended up following me. I wonder if he saw me with Flint earlier today. Hope not. Because then he'd be chasing Flint around with his cherry bombs. (He's got a safe filled with them. I stole a couple! Don't tell anyone!)

But as I sneaked down the hallway I passed dad's office. The door to the room was open and dad was yelling into a phone. Well that wasn't a surprise. In fact, he's _always_ yelling at someone on the phone. Except when he's talking to some friends from New York City. He says they help him out a lot in many things. With what? Do I look like I care?

"…talked to him? No! I PAID A HALF GRAND TO THE DAMN COMPANY! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WON'T SHIP ANYMORE FOOD? I PAID YOU A LOAD! MY TOWN IS TIRED OF SARDINES! Oh, uh, yeah. _NO!_ IF YOU DON'T GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK I'LL COME OVER THERE AND YOU'D WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN! GET THAT?" dad yelled into the phone.

I peeked inside very carefully and saw he was sitting in his leather chair facing the fireplace, so he couldn't see me. But he was shaking his fist in the air. He was probably at his worst. If tried to say one word to him, he'll yell at me. These phone calls anger him. But when he told the guy at the other end 'I'll come over there and you'd wish you were never born!' I think he actually meant it. But before I could listen any further to the conversation, I was pulled out of the doorway and into the hallway. Someone slammed me against the wall.

"What's the big idea?" I tried to wiggle out of the strong grip.

"You should be in bed!" came a serious voice. I opened my eyes and saw it was Brent holding me against the wall. I tried to wiggle out again, but he held on tighter. I was about to yelp in pain, but he slammed his hand over my mouth.

"Mhmeah!" I cried out into his hand. He moved his hand away and I gasped for air.

"What did you say?" he teased. But not in a good way. There was sarcasm on the edge of his voice.

"Let go off me!" I hissed and he instantly let go. I collapsed to the floor and winced in pain. Slowly, I made it to my feet and glared at Brent. What an asshole he was. Living with him was horrible.

Since we didn't adopt him yet, he wasn't technically my brother. But dad pretended he was. Once or twice, Brent tried to ask me out on a date. I just spat on his feet and left. It was just sick. I'd rather date Flint's monkey, than Brent. BESIDES if he wanted to be my brother (he didn't. he acted like we were just two high schoolers living under the same roof), then he should ACTING like one.

"Why aren't you in bed? You know he'll catch you out of bed." Brent grinned slyly. I narrowed my eyes at him and got to my feet.

"I just want some fresh air. Just out on the porch." I pleaded. Brent stared at me.

"That's what you said this morning. But you ended up going into town. And I saw you with Flint." He scolded. I froze. Are you serious? Brent saw me? Well if he saw me, then dad probably saw me too. But then if dad had seen me, I would be dead by now. Or maybe just beat up. I didn't get why my dad and Brent hated Flint and his family so much. They were great people! But it probably because my dad was jealous that Flint's family was so talented.

"So what if you saw me? Flint is just a guy like every other guy who goes to our high school!" I snapped in a louder voice. But Brent's eyes widened and we both quieted down. Dad had stopped talking on the phone and I could tell he was either listening to the person on the other line or to our conversation.

Brent grabbed my hand and led my down the hallway. We went down the stairs and went down the first floor hallway until we reached the front door.

"Listen. Promise that you'll only go sit on the porch. Don't go anywhere tonight." Brent warned me. I nodded and slowly began to dress up. When I had my coat, hat and boots on, I left through the front door and Brent closed the front door behind me.

Keeping Brent's promise, I sat down on the wooden porch's steps. Our house looked right out onto Main Street. Breathing in the cold air, I looked down Main Street. The streetlamps flickered on and people were heading home. The street was becoming deserted. Our porch light came on too. As I sat out here, I wondered about the same thought I thought about every day. What if I ran away? Took a boat to NYC, and then ran from there.

But then dad would hunt me down, even if I was halfway in Paris, France. He could track down anything. That's why I don't think he ever lost anything. Except for my mom. I thought about my mom. But I couldn't picture her. Her face was a blur.

"Thinking?" came a worried voice behind me. I turned around and saw my dad standing there. He came over and sat down beside me. It was rare that he ever had the chance to talk to me. Or even come a few inches close.

"Yeah." I nodded and turned to look down Main Street again.

"About something… or perhaps—someone?" dad asked knowingly. I froze and wondered if he was getting somewhere. I sighed and nodded. Dad just stayed silent.

"It's mom." I explained and dad stiffened beside me. I could tell that this subject bothered him. But it also bothered me. He knew what happened to mom, and I had no clue. He loved her, so what happened? I knew this because he kept their wedding photo in his wallet. And sometimes when he wasn't insane, he'd sit on the couch flipping through old photo albums of him and her. It made me feel bad for him. But he was also the evil father, I never expected to have.

"Oh. I thought it might be, Flint." He replied calmly. Shivers ran down my spine. He knew? So he had been watching me kiss Flint on the cheek! Gulping, I moved a centimeter away from him. Just in case.

"Yeah, about that…" I began, but dad interrupted me.

"Marie. I don't want to see you with him anymore. Never! You got it? I have enough to deal with, and now it's your love life!" he threw his hands in the air.

"Will you just shut the hell up? Maybe I do love him! So what? I hate it when you follow me, and the way you treat me! If mom was here, you'd be nicer! But you're a monster!" I shouted as I rose to my feet. I knew I had cut the final loose strings that hung between us. Because then dad rose too. He pulled a dagger out of his pocket and I froze with fear.

"Say that again?" he demanded and the dagger glinted at his side.

"I HATE YOU!" I shouted and then I tried to walk away. But dad raised his hand and hit my across the face with his hand. I let out a cry, but he grabbed me and dragged me into the house. I screamed and kicked as he dragged me. The dagger glinted sharply at his side.

"BRENT! HELP! BRENT, PLEASE! BRENT, HELP!" I was screaming as dad dragged me across the floor. But dad raised his dagger and sliced me across the face to shut me up. I stopped and tears fell out of my eyes.

"He's not here. And he won't hear you." Dad replied icily. I screamed louder and kicked harder.

"FLINT! FLINT!" I bawled, even though he wasn't there. Dad dragged me down the dark basement. I wished I could see Flint's face again. His smile, blue eyes, brown hair. And Steve. He promised to bring Steve to that corner on Main Street. I prayed that this was all just a bad dream, and I'd wake up covered in cold sweat. But this was real.

xxx

**Flint Lockwood's POV**

I finally settled in my bed with a sigh. Today was a good day. My invention worked, I wasn't grounded anymore and well Marie had helped me find Steve. The most important thing was that my invention actually worked. I still couldn't believe it. Slowly, I rolled over onto my back and stared up at my lab ceiling.

"I cannot believe I finally have a working invention." I said out loud. I heard Steve roll over in his bed.

"Steve!" Steve said back to me and I laughed. Maybe I should now think about another invention.

"Steve, what would be a good idea for another invention?" I asked through the dark.

"Help!" Steve said again.

"Yes, you can help. But I need an idea for another invention!" I chuckled and Steve became quiet. I guess he was asleep. Maybe he should get his sleep. And maybe I should too. Both of us needed the sleep. I wanted to see dad's reaction about his mustache tomorrow morning. Wait a minute. Had I put Hair Un-Bladder cream on his face? I mean, I just grabbed a random bottle off my table… But it was the Hair Un-Bladder!

Groaning, I got up and went over to my table. Two bottles sat on my table. I read the label of both. One said _Hair Un-Bladder_. The other said _Spray on Shoes_. I gasped and wondered if I had sprayed my spray on shoes on my dad's face.

"What if I did?" I gulped. Quickly, I grabbed the REAL _Hair Un-Bladder_ Bottle and ran back into the house to check if I had used the right bottle on dad.


	18. Chapter 18: Winter Leaf

The morning light spilled into my lab and I quickly sat up in bed. Last night I had managed to sneak into dad's room again. He had the Hair Un-Balder mustache (thank goodness it wasn't Spray-on Shoes!). But it had spread to the rest of his face, so I ended up giving dad a trim while he slept. Unfortunately, dad woke up and saw the scissors in my hands. He demanded to know what they were for. I said I was looking for something. I think dad believed half of what I said, because he sent me out of the room, but narrowed his eyes at the scissors.

At breakfast, dad was touching his mustache curiously. I just stared at him, he blinked at me. Shrugging I looked down at my breakfast. Something grey and lumpy stared back at me. I poked it with my fork and then looked up at dad.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Scrambled sardine eggs." Dad smiled at me. _He has got to be kidding me_. I thought to myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched dad eat a forkful. But instantly he coughed and then looked as if he were about to throw up. He covered his mouth and ran to the bathroom. I just pushed my plate away and drank my coffee. Dad stumbled back into the kitchen.

"Don't eat them." He coughed and sat down too. I raised an eyebrow at him and drained the last of my coffee. Straightening up, dad began to drink his coffee and reached for the newspaper.

"Hey look Flint!" he pointed at something in the newspaper. I leaned over his shoulder and squinted at the tiny newspaper font. The Swallow Falls Outdoor Skating Rink was opening today. Did dad expect me to go? I couldn't skate! I mean I could ride a bike (with difficulty) and rollerblade (I end up in bruises and scratches on my face), maybe even ride a scooter (uh…). But skating? No way.

"I'm not going skating!" I cried and crossed my arms over my chest. Dad sighed and got up. He came back with a pair of shiny hockey skate.

"These used to be mine. I took really good care of them. Now I want you to have them." Dad handed me the polished skates. Dad could skate? I never knew. But then I didn't know a lot of things about him. He could be a racecar driver for all I knew.

"I'll try." I replied and took the skates. Now I felt bad. I had to try. Besides everyone from school will be there. Maybe even Marie. I nodded at my dad and went back into my lab to dress warmer. I didn't feel like wearing my winter coat. Instead I'll wear layers under my lab coat. My winter coat was too big anyway.

By the time, I was marching down Main Street to the rink the air had gotten warmer. At least I hadn't put on too many layers. Main Street was full of citizens heading down to the rink. I had never seen it. But all I knew was that they had only built it this year.

I ended up passing the Mayor's house. It was big. Not exactly your average suburb's house. I wondered to myself if Marie will come out to the rink. Then the front door slammed open and I jumped into the bushes. Brent walked out. His face was pale and tears streaked his eyes. To tell you the truth, the last time I had seen Brent cry was when his parents died that afternoon in 2nd grade and he ended up walking home alone.

"Flint, I know you're there." Brent whispered and wiped his eyes quickly. I got out of the bushes and dusted my lab coat off.

"Are you okay? I hardly ever see you cry." I asked him and he blinked away incoming tears.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." He nodded and began to head down to the rink too. I followed. But as we walked further away from the house, I kept on looking back. Something was wrong. I could tell. What if something was wrong with Marie? No, probably not. She was probably already at the rink.

The Skating Rink was no joke. It was HUGE! Maybe a bit bigger than our football field. It was located not too far from our high school. Wait a minute. The football field WAS the Skating Rink! I grinned as I saw what our football field has been transformed into: a giant sleek sheet of thick ice. Citizens of Swallow Falls were all over the ice. And it wasn't even crowded. There was still more than half of the field—rink empty.

"Flint! Over here!" I heard someone call me. When I scanned the rink, I saw the football team waving at me. I was surprised, we were still friends. While lacing up my skates, I scanned the rest of the rink. Earl was skating with his wife. She kept slipping and falling. He kept on helping her up.

"Flint." I felt a soft, fragile hand on my shoulder. Turning around, I saw no one. But I still felt someone holding my shoulder. Slowly, I touched my shoulder. It was empty. Chills ran down my spine. Then I when I turned to look back on the rink, I saw Marie skating gracefully. Grinning, I got up and stood at the railing of the rink; wobbling in my skates.

"Marie!" I waved at her. She turned around and met my eyes with a sad look. Then she vanished. Just like that. I blinked and rubbed my eyes. Was I seeing things?

"Flint!" I heard someone call me again. I spun around and this time, saw Brent standing there. He clutched an envelope. Gulping, he handed it back to me. I took it.

"What's this?" I asked and began to open the envelope.

"Marie wanted me to give this to you." Brent whispered and left to skate with the rest of the football team. Frowning, I ripped the envelope and pulled a crumpled piece of paper. I straightened it out and saw messy handwriting. She must have been hurrying. The words on the paper made my blood run cold. It was written in dried blood.

_My life is like a leaf. I'm born fresh as a green leaf. But I am tattered with and as autumn comes around, I turned orange. Winter comes and I crumple off the branch, then someone ends up stepping on me. I am a winter leaf. But I have not yet been stepped on. Help me. _

"Marie." I murmur her name and begin to unlace my skates. I take them off and put my winter boots over my Spray-on Shoes. Then I dump the skates into a bag and run out of the high school football field—um, rink. My feet carry me to the Mayor's house.

The house looms over me and I don't know what to do. How do I get in? The only answer was the front door. I walked up the porch steps and looked down. There were a few blood drops on the porch steps. _How violent is the Mayor_? I thought to myself. When I reached the door, I gripped the doorknob and swung the door open. Warm air blasted at me when I stepped inside the house. Quietly, I closed the door behind me.

"The Mayor says he's bankrupt, and yet he lives in a million-dollar house." I muttered under my breath. But where was the Mayor himself? He wasn't at the rink, so he had to be in here somewhere. When I heard footsteps, I jumped behind a big potted plant and held my breath. The Mayor walked down the stairs, in a dark blue suit and a newspaper in his hand.

As he strutted down the hall, I saw him come over to a large mirror and knock on the glass. The mirror twirled around and in its place was a plasma TV. The news channel came on and the Mayor walked out of the room. I looked from behind the potted plant.

"Why spend so much money on rotating mirror TVs, when you could be making our town a better place to live in?" I shook my head and walked down the wide hallway. Who knew what was hidden behind theses walls. I glanced at the floor and a red carpet looked down at me. I saw some small writing on the carpet. Making sure no one was around, I bent down and squinted at the writing. It said _Golden Globe Awards year 1997. _I gasped and got up. Red carpet? Golden Globe Awards?

"This is THE Red Carpet! Where'd he manage to get this thing?" I whispered in shock and stared at the carpet under my feet. Insane. That was one word I had to describe the Mayor: Insane.

"This thing probably cost billions and billions of dollars!" I gasped and kneeled down to touch it. Anyway, why was I here! To find Marie and not get distracted by red carpets in the Mayor's hallways. I stood there with my hands planted on my hips. _Where could Marie be hidden? _I thought and tapped my foot impatiently. _Somewhere dark and cold._ I thought again.

"A basement." I grinned and walked down the hall, looking for a set of stairs leading into a basement. Then I saw them. Wooden stairs leading into a dark cold basement. Just like I wanted. Again making sure the Mayor didn't see me, I crept down the stairs. It was so dark, that I couldn't even see the stairs in front of me. So I pulled my cellphone out and used the light from the cellphone as a flashlight.

As the stairs became clear in front of me, I felt less afraid. The basement was one room. A really big room. I turned my cellphone off and saw some torches on the walls. They were lit up. How old was this house, if they still used torches instead of normal lights? The room had a clean polished floor, but the walls were covered in cobwebs and moss.

"Marie?" I hissed through the dimness of the room.

"F-Flint?" I heard a strangled voice. It was Marie. I ran down the room and finally came to a lump on the floor. It was Marie. She was covering her face with her hands, as she lay on the ground. Her wavy brown hair was draped over her shoulders limply. I kneeled down beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Her shoulders heaved and I realized she was sobbing. Her leg was twisted in a strange direction and both of her legs were covered in blood.

"Please look at me." I whispered and watched her. She was dying. I could tell.

"No, I look horrible." She replied in a muffled voice and I shook my head.

"I don't care, if half of your face is burnt away or gone. I just want to see you." I assured her and she turned and looked up at me. I didn't stare. Or gasp. I just blinked back tears. There was a long deep cut on her cheek. It stretched from her temple to her chin. Then there was a bruise that took up the other side of the face. Dried blood caked her forehead. I ripped some of my sweater off and wiped the dried blood off her forehead. When I did, her forehead was mostly skinless. It was mostly flesh.

"I'm sorry." I whispered and a tear trickled down my face and fell on her hands.

"I should be sorry." She sighed and then I noticed her shirt was stained in blood too. I didn't want to know was what under. Her face showed me that it was either the same or worse under her shirt.

"I just have one request before I die. Please invent me an animal. I was thinking of a Ratbird." She whispered and tears glistened on her eyelids.

"A Ratbird? Is it a cross between a—" I began but Marie sat up with difficulty and wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged my tightly.

"It doesn't matter. I know you'll do a great job. I just want a strange animal to live in Swallow Falls. This place needs more than just people and sardines. It needs creativity and imagination." She whispered in my ear and I hugged her tightly. I would promise her that.

I would invent a Ratbird for her, even if it took me years. She was crying now and I sat with her. She cried and I cried with her. Our friendship and just begun, when it had just ended. Suddenly I was grateful for that day we waltzed in gym class. I was grateful for many things. I was grateful I finally had a friend. Steve was just a monkey. Denis was only for a while.

"Thank you." She rasped and I tightened my grip on her. I was losing her. I felt her body get colder. The heat was leaving her and her soul was going wherever my mom's had gone. When I let go of Marie, she was gone. Her eyes were closed and tears glistened on her cheeks. I noticed how her eyelashes were long and how beautiful she looked, even through the injuries.

"I won't disappoint you." I replied and hugged her again, even if she was dead. But maybe she heard me from the heavens above.

Maybe she did, because I felt a hand on my shoulder. It had been mom at the Skating Rink and now it was Marie. The hand tightened on my shoulder and I got to leave. The hand left my shoulder.


	19. Chapter 19: Graduation isn't the end

**Author's Note: I actually had to do math for this chapter (not too much, you wouldn't even call it math). If the CWACOM movie came out in 2009 and Flint was 22, then he graduated high school in 2005. You graduate high school at the age of 18. Then you go to university for 4 years. If it was college, then it'd be 2 years and then he'd have graduated high school in 2007. But Flint's going to university. The USF. **

My feet ran down the hallway, as I searched for my graduation cap. Today was my high school graduation and I had lost my cap. The robe was on me, but the cap? I ran into the kitchen and searched in every drawer and under every chair. Then I raced into the living room and frantically looked around the couch. As I ran up the stairs to the second floor, I slipped and fell down. Then I slid down the stairs and fell with a _thump_ at the bottom.

"DAD! WHERE IS MY GRADUATION CAP?" I hollered and upstairs I heard dad running around. Then he began to run down the stairs holding my cap in his hand. I sighed with relief and got to my feet. Dad handed me my cap and I fit it over my spiked hair.

"We better get going. It starts in a couple of minutes." Dad replied and hurried to put his shoes on. I ran after him. I didn't need to shoes. They were with me always. We then ran out the front door and dad snatched the video camera before we left. As we scrambled into the car, I became nervous. High school Graduation. Whoa, where did time go? 11th and 12th grade flew by much too quickly. But I had joined the track team, so it made the year go by faster.

But to think I was a 9th grader walking down the hallways, clutching my schedule; now I had finished 12th grade and was going onto to The University of Swallow Falls in the autumn. Not too many people from my grade were going. Denis was moving back to Rhode Island and many students; who had come from the states, were moving back there. I knew a couple were going to The USF, but not too many.

"Don't be nervous, son. You'll graduate today and that's it." Dad drove down Main Street and I tightened my seatbelt. I didn't want to graduate. Well, I didn't school either, but school was the place where many good memories were stored. Not to mention a lot of bad ones.

"What will we be doing this summer?" I asked and changed the subject.

"Ah! Well, that's a surprise. I'll give you a hint: we aren't staying here." Dad smiled. I coughed and sort of choked, but on what I don't know. Not here? Where? We didn't have any money enough for a trip to Mexico or the Caribbean! Where was dad planning to go? Then it hit me. If we couldn't afford traveling by plane, then it had to be by car.

"Great." I mumbled and stared out the window. The island Swallow Falls was located on was small, but on the other side of the island there was a forest. People lived there. I knew who lived there. My grandparents. Grandma Lockwood was the best cook in the entire family tree. She could make sardines into the most delicious dish ever. Grandpa Lockwood was sort of me. He tried to invent crazy things too.

"Here we are! Ready?" dad parked the car in the parking lot and got out of the car. I got out and followed my dad into the high school and into the school gym. The gym had been transformed into something totally different. A light blue carpet has been rolled along the aisle and the chairs weren't the school chairs. They were some kind of chairs you would find in a theatre. I smiled and went over to sit with the rest of the graduates. Dad went to sit with the audience.

"Welcome! Another year has come to an end and this time, we won't be returning. No more homework or projects or essays. There might be a couple in the college or university you will go to, but I want all the graduates to enjoy these two months of summer. The last months of freedom, before your lives will unveil before you in the fall." Our principal came up to the microphone and spoke loudly into it.

My heart was beating slowly and my ears caught every word. I wished we could stop right here. Then rewind back to the past and fix up all the mistakes made. But this was the future. Every student sitting around was the future.

Except for Marie.

"She's probably watching over us." I glanced up at the gym ceiling and sighed. Now I felt guilty. I had lived two years without inventing her any Ratbirds. And I had promised. The truth was, I didn't know how. A Ratbird? Hmmm. Well I had to mix a rat and a bird. That's all I knew. What kind of bird though? But the principal had said something and it caught my attention.

"—and in memory of Marie Oreant; who has died in her 2nd year in high school." The principal told the crowd. A soft murmur rang through the crowd. There was a moment of silence. My eyes went over to Brent. He was covering his face with his hands. Then I turned around to look at the crowd. The Mayor was looking down on his lap, so I couldn't exactly see his reaction.

This was going to be a long ceremony. I sighed and continued to listen to the speeches that followed the principal's. Then there would be diplomas and then another speech from the principal.

xxx

"Callie Kylanburg!" The principal called out. Callie sat on my right. She got up and hurried on stage. I was next. Then came Brent. There had been a lot of students at the beginning of the alphabet, so most of the graduating class has already gotten their diplomas.

"Flint Lockwood!" The principal called out. Smiling, I got up and applause came from the crowd. As I made my way up the stage, I saw my dad sitting in the audience with the video camera. When I shook the principal's hand and received my diploma, I turned one last time to the audience and I could've sworn I just saw my mom in the crowd. My heart was slamming out of beat, as I walked off stage.

My mom stood in the crowd applauding along with the rest.

"Brent McHale!" The principal called out and Brent up on stage. When he received his diploma, I saw him gasp and scan the crowd. Then he walked off stage and sat down beside me, with a look of fright on his face.

"I saw my parents in the crowd." He breathed out.

"I saw my mom." I told him. He turned to me and then leaned back in his seat.

"Do you suppose Marie is here too?" Brent whispered and we watched the next person go up on stage to get their diploma.

"I don't know." I shrugged and crossed my arms over my chest. I know this sounded mean, but I kinda wished she was not here. Yes, I maybe felt something for her and yes I promised to create a Ratbird for her, but I couldn't bear seeing her ghost or soul or whatever. I'd just break down crying. This was Graduation, not a funeral. So I waited for the big moment when we'd get to throw our hats. The names flew down the list all the way down the 'Y''s (no one in our grade has a last name beginning with a Z) and then the principal grabbed the microphone once again.

"Now that the diplomas have been presented and all our students have received them, I won't keep the students waiting. To the Class of 2005!" our principal cried out joyfully. The Class of 2005 stood up and screaming with excitement threw their caps into the air. The air was filled with dark blue caps and they seemed like birds finally released into the air. When the caps were caught, students ran around crying out joyfully and posing for pictures.

When I caught my cap, I could have sworn I saw Marie stand a few feet away and catch her cap. I rubbed my eyes and she vanished. But she graduated along with us. She had come.

"This one's for you." I whispered as if talking to her and threw my cap into the air a second time. My cap went higher into the air and when I caught it warmth filled my chest. I was now entering a new world. This battle would be hard. I wished I didn't have to fight it alone…

Meanwhile in New York… **Sam Spark's POV…**

"MOM! DAD! I GRADUATED!" I shrieked with happiness and brought both of my parents into a family hug. They hugged my back and I grinned at them. Now I was off to university to earn my broadcast journalism degree. But as I clutched my cap and stood there in my robe, I felt excitement and energy surging through me. A weather reporter! I could finally go to school to study to be one. This will be exciting!

"SAM!" I heard Gwen call me. I let go of my parents and ran over to where Gwen was standing with the rest of our gang. Someone had brought a camera, so everyone huddled in front of the camera. In some pictures, we threw our caps at the camera, at another we had tripped, so the picture showed us all falling. Others were just everyone grinning goofily into the camera.

"I hope I graduate from university." Sam told Gwen as they walked around the gym, saying last goodbyes to teachers and classmates.

"Sam, you're smart! Of course you will!" Gwen scoffed and I laughed. Let's hope so. My dad had to stay an extra year when he was in university. Meanwhile, mom went to college.

"Okay, but I'm scared about after that. You know, getting married and starting a family. I bet no guy will be into me enough to marry me." I bit my lip.

"SAM! Stop thinking about marriage! You're just 18 and still have 4 more years of university. Plus, I'm sure there is a guy out there somewhere waiting for you." Gwen laughed and we continued to walk around the gym. To me university sounded like a harder version of high school. Four years, course to take and exams. Ugh, how I hated exams.

Studying for the 12th grade exams was torture. I had spread my books on my desk and tried to recopy all my notes. But I got distracted so easily, it wasn't even funny. Example: I would look at the blue walls in my room, while recopying my notes. Then I'd think of water. I'd actually go and get a glass of water. As I'd get a glass of water, I'd see the TV in the living room and then end up watching old episodes of some soap opera.

I am such a daydreamer.

"Hey, let's go say hi to our gym teacher!" Gwen took my hand and dragged me through the crowd. _I hate our gym teacher and he hates me. _I groaned and had no choice but to follow Gwen. We reached the circle of teachers and Gwen found our gym teacher.

"Hi, Mr. Leshbroune!" Gwen smiled her best smile and I waved at him nervously.

"Hello Miss Dan and Miss Sparks," he replied in a gruff voice, "Miss Dan you passed your gym test, Miss Sparks you got one mark over a fail. So you barely passed."

My stomach sank. One mark over a fail. Good God, did gym even count when you tried to get into a good school? I wanted to punch him. He just gave me that mark because he hated me. I had done the fitness test well and knew I did well on my health test. This was ridiculous.

Gwen saw I was getting angered and we walked away. I wished I could just get over school for good. At least they didn't have gym in university. Did they? But I had to keep in shape to be a weather reporter. I heard the TV cameras add 10 pounds to you…

But I'd kill for a cheeseburger just about now…


	20. Chapter 20: Flint's rocket

We weren't leaving to my grandparent's cottage yet. Not for another week. And I wasn't leaving without having fun. I was going to start the Ratbirds later, but a new store had its grand opening yesterday and everyone was running over there today. The store sold random stuff. Just a bit of everything weird. I saw the graduating class race in there today. I decided to take Steve with me, since the air was warm and he was bored in the lab alone.

The store was right on Main Street wedged between the other stores. The new store made the old stores look even older. It was all freshly painted and everything from the floorboards to the walls has been replaced on the inside. I walked toward it and wondered what I would possibly end up buying. I heard that all the stuff in the store was really cheap. The most expensive object only cost $5.

"Steve, look at this place." I gasped as we stepped into the bustling store. There were shelves filled with the weirdest things and some things I knew. All around people and students picked up the objects or the packaged ones and inspected them. I saw as one girl picked up what looked as a jewelry box, but when she opened it, something exploded from the inside and her face was covered in soot.

"Isn't this supposed to be a jewelry box?" she asked the cashier. He shrugged and went to help other customers.

"He guys, look at this!" I saw Brent pick up a normal looking football and show it to his friends. But suddenly two miniature turbo rockets appeared at either side of the football, and the ball flew through the air at an amazing speed and crashed at a display.

"I'm buying that!" Brent cried out waving his dollar bills. But the rest of the football team ran after it too. When Brent retrieved it from the display it crashed on, the whole football team tackled him; trying desperately to steal the flying football and buy it for themselves. I laughed. I was glad I wasn't the one being tackled.

"Steve!" Steve suddenly pointed to a stuffed monkey on a shelf. I came over and poked the toy. I wished it wouldn't explode or have turbo rockets. But the toy sat still. I took it off the shelf and handed it to Steve. He hugged it and I realized the toy did look like him.

"Okay, I'll buy that for you." I smiled and Steve climbed back onto my shoulder, clutching the toy protectively. We walked through the store and I really couldn't see anything good enough.

My hand hovered over a pack of gum that turned your tongue blue for a week. It'd be funny to feed it to Brent and see him suffer for a week. But he'd want revenge and that wasn't too great. Not when he lived and knew the Mayor very well. We walked through the store, until I saw something.

It was some kind of rocket or some type of fireworks. I picked the box up and looked it over. Letting a rocket out in the town sounded fun. But imagine all the trouble I could get into! It might crash into someone, ruin private property, or even break something. But c'mon it couldn't hurt, right?

"I'm buying this rocket thing." I told Steve and he nodded. We went over to the cash register, but Brent suddenly came over carrying the flying football and shoved me out of the line. I tripped and almost fell, if I hadn't caught my balance in time. He smirked and paid for the flying football. The rest of the football team came and took my place in line. I wished I had that gum now to offer him.

"Freak." He hissed as he passed me out the door.

"Idiot." I muttered back. Brent wheeled around and faced me.

"Say that again?" Brent snapped.

"Listen, guys, let's not fight now." Denis came over and stood between us.

"Whose side are YOU on?" Brent demanded and Denis leveled his glare.

"No ones." He folded his arms over his chest. But as they left, he leaned over and whispered something in my ear.

"I, also think he's an idiot. That football will get him in the biggest trouble. There's an explosive compartment. It explodes every 2 hours, and then you fix it up yourself. He shouldn't have bought it." Denis hissed and then hurried after the other football players. Smiling that someone had actually agreed with me, I paid for my rocket ($2) and for Steve's stuffed monkey ($1.50), and then we left the store.

Outside, I sat on a bench and started to open the package open. Inside was a rocket exactly a meter long. It was thick and a metallic purple color. The fins and darted top was silver. Surprisingly, it was very light for such a big thing. I unfolded the instructions and began to read.

"Let's see… This object is not for children under 16…Ignite the rocket by opening the turbo compartment and lighting the inside on fire… Handle with care. Well, that sounds pretty easy." I told myself and opened the lower turbo compartment and saw that there was a sealed bottle filled with some blue liquid.

Carefully, I took the small bottle and saw five bold words on the bottle: **Throw lit match inside bottle. **Frowning I searched the box for a match. There were a couple. Wait, but if I threw the match into the liquid and the rocket flew upward, how do I stop it? I grabbed the instructions.

"Hmm… Oh, it's here! Once the match is thrown into the liquid and the bottle is sealed tight, the rocket will fly. It stops when all the liquid in the bottle is finished." I frowned. How long was I to wait, until the blue stuff was gone? But it probably wasn't too long.

"Okay, here goes nothing." I took a deep breath and opened the bottle. I struck a match and quickly threw it into the bottle. I sealed the bottle and placed it back into the compartment. I closed the compartment and felt the rocket grow warm and start to shake. I held it up and then it escaped my hands and soared into the air.

Grinning, I watched the rocket soar gracefully through the sky. A white thin streak of clouds followed it and a roar came from it as it ripped across the sky. It zoomed over the town and made a couple of circles. I watched it and was glad, that so far it hadn't done any damage. The rocket seemed to be going at a faster speed as it picked up the wind along for the ride. From where I stood, it looked like a purple and silver blur. But then something seemed to change the rocket's direction. It was now coming down to the ground, from its height.

The rocket would hit a few people, if they didn't move. I'd get arrest for that. Quickly, I ran over to crowd waving my arms and pointing at the sky. All looked up and scattered. The last one, was the Mayor standing there reading the newspaper. I hadn't heard what I had said. The rocket was now coming down faster and faster. The Mayor still didn't hear or see me.

"MOVE, SIR!" I yelled, but the roar of the rocket was blocking out my yells. I could already see the headline: _FLINT LOCKWOOD KILLS MAYOR SHELBOURNE WITH A ROCKET!_ That's not the way it's supposed to be! That headline just sounds screwed up. If it was the Mayor killing me, that'd make a little more sense. I didn't want to kill the Mayor! But at the same time I kinda did, but I'd get into SO much trouble.

"A ROCKET WILL KILL YOU IF YOU DON'T MOVE!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, and then the Mayor heard me. He turned around and looked at me with a quizzical look. Then he looked up and screamed. The rocket was coming down faster, and he moved away. Instead of crashing to the ground, the rocket made a dip and now flew near the ground and straight at the Mayor.

He cried out and began to run away. The rocket still followed him close behind and was ready to hit him straight in the back. People standing or walking around, stopped and turned to watch their Mayor being chased by a rocket. I stood there with a look of shock across my face. I was in so much trouble. While some people were horrified (that was more than half of the crowd), others found it amusing. The rocket was still going fast, but the Mayor looked tired of running.

"RUN STUMPY, RUN! RUN FASTER!" some young teenage girl from the crowd shouted and people turned to look at her. But she ignored their glares and yelled louder. Students her age began to yell out too.

The Mayor looked ready to collapse on the ground and die. But yet, he ran on. The rocket didn't seem like it would slow down anytime soon. But as I watched the Mayor, I agreed it did look amusing to watch. The Mayor ran up and down Main Street, with the rocket tailing after him. I wondered why it was following him. Now more people stood to watch and I saw Earl drive up in his police cruiser. He got out and stood to watch among the other people.

"What in the world is happening here?" he demanded and watched the Mayor trip and then quickly scramble to his feet, before the rocket hit him.

"He's being chased by a rocket." Someone told Earl. But Earl didn't need to know that. He saw himself. Suddenly the Mayor slowed down and the rocket made contact with his back. The rocket poked him in the back and he fell to the ground. To the crowd it looked like a poke in the back, but it must have been worse. The Mayor hit the ground face-down and the rocket flew over his head and away. A gasp rippled through the crowd. Everyone was sure he was dead. I hoped he wasn't. If Earl found out the rocket was mine… Oh, I didn't want to think about it.

"Is he alright?" someone broke the silence that that taken over the crowd. But that question was answered. The Mayor shifted on the ground, and lifted his head from the ground. People gasped and took a step back. His face was covered mostly in blood and a bruise under his eye. He staggered to his feet and glared at the crowd.

"WHO TAKES RESPOSIBILTY FOR THAT ROCKET?" he screamed at the crowd and some of the blood off his face dripped onto his clean suit. He had the scariest look in his eyes. The look in his eyes was angry and threatening.

I shifted from where I stood. No way was I telling him that it was me. Who knew what he'll do to me. But I tried to keep an innocent face, in case he looked at me. His eyes scanned the crowd.

"When I find out who let that rocket into the air, the will pay! I ALMOST LOST MY FACE!" He yelled again. At the same time the rocket was finally slowing down and landed a few feet away from the Mayor. He came over to it and picked it up. My heart beat loudly with fright. Maybe I should just leave? But if I left, I'd be considered guilty. When other people will leave, I'll leave too.

When the Mayor didn't say another word, the crowd began to slowly thin out. I was about to leave, but I turned and watched the Mayor take a handkerchief out of his suit pocket and wipe the blood of his face. His face still looked awful with the bruise and multiple cuts and scratches.

Then he looked up from the rocket and looked right at me. I tried to act innocent and pretended I was looking elsewhere. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw him watch me. _He knows it was me. Leave now. Right now._ I told myself and began to walk away.

"Steve, remind me to never deal with rockets again." I told Steve as we walked back home. Steve didn't say anything. He just clutched his stuffed monkey. I walked all the way home, thinking about how now I was now probably on the Mayor's people-to-deal-with list.

This was great, just great. Now I won't be able to sleep at night, knowing that I would suffer the Mayor's revenge. Now I just wished we would go to my grandparent's cottage sooner. Out there, there would be no one to get me.

"Steve, I need to teach you to attack burglars or any strangers or criminals that might enter the lab." I told Steve and he gave me a confused look.


	21. Chapter 21: Freaking Out

**Author's Note: This chapter is making my fanfic as long as my other one. But I'm not done with this fanfic yet, so it'll be longer than my other one =) **

Thunder rolled out my window that night and I knew it had to be one of those summer storms. Lightning flashed and rain pounded on the roof of my lab. But I heard footsteps even through the rain and thunder. There were defiantly footsteps. I sat up in bed and looked around the room. Then I got out of bed and slipped my lab coat over my sleeping shirt. I felt cold in my shorts, so I slipped into a pair of sweatpants.

"Steve, I'm gonna see who is out there." I told Steve and left the room and into the purple tunnel. There was no one in the tunnel. _But I had just heard footsteps coming from here._ My heart in my throat, I moved into my elevator and soon came to ground level. I came out of the elevator and into the pouring rain. Instantly I was soaked.

"Great. I'm wet and hearing noises that aren't even there." I muttered under my breath and walked across the backyard and around the house. I stood on the driveway glancing down the street. The streetlamps seemed dimmer because of the pouring rain. I began to walk down the street and heard loud footsteps again. I spun around and saw no one.

"Either I'm insane or I just need to get more sleep. But if someone is out there, they better not give me a heart attack." I gulped and turned around the corner and onto Main Street. The street was empty. I stood right in the middle of the road and looked down the empty. No wait, there was someone there. They stood at the other end of the street.

_That's not the Mayor. They look a bit slimmer and taller. _I thought to myself. Something red glowed in their hand. I took a step back and they took a step forward. I backed up some more and they came closer. When they came into the light of the streetlamp, I froze.

It was Marie.

Alive.

I was seriously seeing things. But she looked dead. Her beautiful wavy hair was messed up and billowed behind her. Her clear blue eyes shown with a dark hue and they didn't blink once. Her face was screwed up with scratches and deep wounds. Her smile was bloody. Was I dreaming? Or was this real? Where was I? I suddenly wanted my mom.

A glowing red cherry bomb was gripped in her hand. I took a step back and she took a step forward and her mouth opened to say something,

"You." She rasped and I was freaking out. Her voice wasn't silky anymore. It sounded cracked and as if someone was running nails down a chalkboard. _Please tell this isn't real. Please tell this isn't real. Please tell this isn't real. _I repeated in my head.

Marie was coming closer and when she reached me, she stared straight into my eyes. I was scared. Her eyes were glazed over. She didn't blink once. Then she slapped me across the face and I fell back. She raised the cherry bomb over her head and threw it at my feet.

"It's too late." She snapped in her steel voice. _ Too late about what? _ I wailed in my mind. The bomb fell beside me and I felt the bomb pierce into my side and I flew into the air and landed a few feet away. I heard Marie coming again. I lifted my head of the ground and glanced down on my legs. I couldn't feel them, even if they were there.

"What's going on? You're not Marie Oreant!" I screamed and she took out a sharp dagger. The initials M.S. were engraved in the dagger blade.

"No I'm, not. I'm Marie Shelbourne." She snapped and the dagger came down on me.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! MOM!" I shrieked at the top of lungs.

I woke up sweating in bed and screaming. Then I stopped. My bed? Did someone find me on the street and bring me to my lab?

Wait, was it a dream? A dream? A DREAM? THAT WAS MORE LIKE A NIGHTMARE! I glanced under the covers at my feet. They were still there. But the question was: how come I was having a dream about Marie killing me? Was she some kind of android in the dream? I gripped my covers and then began to cry like I was some 5 year old.

"What is wrong with me?" I cried and I heard Steve shift in his bed. After a few more minutes of calming down, I lay back down.

I lay in bed trembling. The Mayor was defiantly going to get me. He was going to blow me up or lock me up in his closet. If I hadn't told you, earlier today (after the rocket incident) I took Steve and taught him, how to hit unwanted people who enter my lab, in the head with a metal rod. It made me feel better, but now I was still afraid. But what if the Mayor didn't suspect me? That was possible too. Maybe he just glared at me because he hates me.

"Steve, are you still there?" I hissed through the darkness and sat up in my bed. I had taken Steve's pillow and put it at the foot of my bed. A sleepy "Steve." was whispered from the end of my bed and I relaxed. My eyes began to close, but I thought about the nightmare coming back to me, and haunting me all night long.

"It was just a dream. It's not real." I convinced myself and my eyes finally closed.

xxx

A sign had been nailed into the ground, on a patch of grass near the spot where the Mayor fell yesterday. I stood in front of it the next morning with my hands on my hips. The sign stated a new rule, but I guess you can call it a law. Here's what it said: _No rockets are allowed in Swallow Falls. Any type of rocket flown or seen, will be taken away and the rocket's owner will pay a fine of $500 ~Mayor Shelbourne_

"I bet you anything, he'll make me pay the $500." I told Steve; who sat on my shoulder. But Steve didn't exactly know what I was saying, so he just blinked in confusion. Wish he could understand everything I said.

"Hey Flint!" I heard Brent call my name from somewhere. I spun around in a circle and saw him coming over.

"What do you want from me?" I asked. Brent passed me, but as he did I heard the words escaping his mouth.

"I know it was your rocket." He sneered as he walked by. I groaned and as he walked by, I kicked him 'by accident'. He howled in pain and I just walked away slowly. Smiling to myself I walked down to the docks. But my smile wavered away when I remembered that Brent told the Mayor everything and that he might tell him that it was my rocket.

Gasping, I began to run away from the docks and back to where Brent had been. But he was nowhere. Steve held on tight as we ran down the side of Main Street.

"Steve! Which way did Brent go?" I asked the monkey. Steve processed my words through his head and then looked around. Then he sniffed the air like some kind of dog, and pointed down the right side of Main Street. I sprinted that way, with Steve gripping my shoulder tightly as we ran.

Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of Brent walking toward City Hall. My legs propelled me up and I raced after him even faster. If only I could stop him! I didn't want to pay a $500 fine or get the Mayor to hunt me down! I now ran up the City Hall steps and Brent reaching for the door. He opened the door and I was now right behind him.

The moment he stepped into the City Hall building, I ran faster and crashed into him. When I did so, he tripped and fell to the ground. I tripped over him and fell too. Then he looked up to see me. His face showed anger.

"What was that all about?" he demanded. Slowly he got to his feet and brushed himself off. I got up and Steve got up too. Steve glared at me, because I had almost squished him when I had fallen.

"Are you going to tell the Mayor that it was my rocket?" I asked quietly. Brent raised an eyebrow at me.

"Well, yeah!" he threw his hands helplessly into the air.

"Why do you hate me so much?" I asked and narrowed my eyes at him. He blinked at me. Then he stood there thinking about it.

"Well… because you're weird and well… you…" Brent scratched the back of his head. I could tell he couldn't find any reasons to hate me. This made me smiled a little. Then he sighed and pushed me aside as he walked by me.

"There are reasons. Just leave me alone." Brent sighed and I watched him walk up the stairs. Up there was the Mayor's office. Groaning I left City Hall. Today was a bad day already. I was the first one to break the Mayor's new law, Dad made sardine muffins for breakfast, and my nightmare from last night was still replaying in my mind.

Plus I didn't know how to begin on Marie's Ratbirds. I wanted to mix a colorful bird with the rat. Like a macaw (type of parrot). But where was I supposed to get a macaw? Rats were easy to find, because they always rummaged through people's garbage bins.

"Rats and birds share nothing in common! I might screw the product up and then what will I do?" I grumbled to myself as I made my way to the docks again. Their DNA was nowhere close to each other! What was I supposed to do? I came over to the docks and came over to the edge of the dock. Then I climbed down the ladder at the dock and sat on the third step of the ladder. Steve sat down on the second step and we both sighed at the same time.

I thought about Marie. How I saw her ghost at graduation. She had come because she cared. Because she remembered. What if her ghost had made that nightmare for me last night? Maybe she was trying to tell my something. What if she was angry at me about something?

I remembered how cold and dead her voice was when she spoke to me in my dream. How she had said "It's too late."

But too late for what? Was I supposed to do something? I wished her ghost could come down again and I could talk to her. I gripped the cold steel of the ladder and pressed my cheek against the cold steel. Maybe one day I'll die too and see her once again.

"Steve, do you ever have nightmares?" I asked him. A sad look came to Steve's face and he hung his head. I understood. He probably did. I mean I didn't even know where Steve was born or from where he had come from. He had no parents at the moment.

"Storm." Steve whispered and I glanced at him. He had nightmares about storms. The poor guy.

"I had a thunder storm in my dream last night." I told Steve. He bit his lip and then a tear rolled out of his eye. Then he looked at me and his orange eyes widened. I took him into my arms and gave him a comforting hug. I didn't know monkeys could cry, but they were living creatures too. They had feelings too.

"Dead." I heard say and I felt a tear squeeze from my eyes too. We both had nightmares about loved ones. I remember when mom died, I had nightmares after that. They were horrible. Some as bad as the one about Marie. But not as violent.

"Be grateful that you're not the dead one." came a misty voice. I felt cold all over when I heard the voice and shivers raced down my spine. The voice was filled with warmth, but steel too.

I turned around and saw a pale hand on my shoulder. Slowly I reached out to hold it. When I did the hand held mine back. Then the hand disappeared.

Instead of feeling happy that Marie was watching over me, I clutched my head and sighed, "I need to see a doctor. Seeing ghosts isn't normal."

Marie behind me frowned and vanished for good. She won't return anymore.


	22. Chapter 22: Ratbirds

Location: University of Swallow Falls; Dr. Pinns' office

Time: 5:17am…My thoughts on getting up this early: let's just say I'm not happy…

The summer had gone by pretty fast. But now I was in university and it was official day 4. My classes were okay and the place reminded me a lot of high school. But I still missed summer and its warmth. Now it was September and it started to get chilly. The leaves on Main Street started to change color and the Swallow Falls Autumn Fest was in a couple of days.

I even missed my stay at my grandparent's cottage. My grandpa showed me his tool shed lab and said that he was working on a secret invention. I helped him all summer long, but the invention failed near the end of summer. He still didn't tell me what it was. But it looked a lot like some kind of dome shaped box. I wanted to go inside the thing, but he had said it was too dangerous.

"Mr. Lockwood, yesterday you told me about your Ratbird invention." Dr. Pinns tapped his pen against his oak desk. I shifted nervously in my seat and nodded. Dr. Pinns was a strict professor and he temper would jump up and down from time to time. Who knew when he had one of his outbursts on me? The only thing I liked about him was that he had a secret lab in the basement of this university and wore a lab coat too.

"Well, you asked for my help. I'd be glad." He smiled. I sighed with relief and then Dr. Pinns got up. He had gold colored hair that was spiked up to the left. His wore small glasses, perched on his nose. Under his lab coat he wore a black turtleneck and then faded jeans.

"Uh, okay." I said and watched him get up and then motion me to follow him.

"But sir, we'll need a macaw for the job. And a rat." I explained. Dr. Pinns smiled his mysterious smile which creeped me out a little. We walked down the hall, until he came up to a wall. We both stared at the wall. Then I saw a small mouse run out of a tiny hole from the bottom of the wall. Dr. Pinns grabbed the mouse, just like that and pressed on the mouse's nose.

Suddenly, the wall opened up there was a steel tunnel in front of us. Dr. Pinns dropped the mouse and I followed him into the tunnel. The moment the wall closed behind us, darkness overtook the tunnel and the floor began to glow neon green.

"This is amazing." I gasped as the tunnel ended and in front of us was a giant vault. Dr. Pinns turned the vault door wheel counter-clockwise and the door spun open. In front of us was a balcony. We walked into the vault door and it closed behind us. The balcony was high up, and below I saw many amazing things. Machines were working on building gadgets and then there was a long white table filled with test tubes and all sorts of bottle and jars filled with things.

"Welcome to my lab!" he waved his hands around, then we took a small set of stairs down to the floor below.

"I want you to understand that making these Ratbirds will put both species at a great risk. The animal that will be created might not come out like your sketches showed, but as a monstrosity. I've seen other scientists try to mix animals illegally. They all failed. The most famous mix was between an Apis mellifera and an Acinonyx jubatus." Dr. Pinns frowned as we made our way down the stairs.

"Uh, what a Apis m… uh melli… Um, the two you just said?" I asked and Dr. Pinns frowned at me as if I was supposed to know such a thing.

"An Apis mellifera is the common bee and the Acinonyx jubatus is a cheetah. The mix failed and the monster was destroyed." Dr. Pinns sighed and fixed his glasses. I winced. A cheetah and a bee? Ouch.

We came over to the table and Dr. Pinns began to set things on the table. A giant glass tank, some kind of laser gun, and then ran off to get something else. When he left, I looked over at the laser gun thing. Whatever it was. Then I made sure he wasn't there and pressed the big red button on the top of the gun.

A turquoise laser shot out of the gun and hit a couple of test tubes on the table. They test tubes exploded and the purple liquid from them spilled all over the table.

"Uh oh." I murmured and watched as the liquid spread across the table and burn a hole in another test tube. That tube had orange liquid and the liquid spilled all over the purple liquid. Suddenly the orange liquid sucked up all the purple liquid like a vacuum, before it disappeared into thin air.

"I'm back!" Dr. Pinns came back and I saw that he held two covered cages. He slammed the cages onto the table, but then noticed the broken test tubes.

"What happened?" he demanded and narrowed his eyes at me.

"I- uh… I touched the laser gun." I mumbled and Dr. Pinns just burst out laughing.

"You call that a laser gun?" he asked and grinned at me. I nodded and he chuckled. Then he shook his head and cleared his throat. I glanced at the two cages as he threw the gray cloth off them to reveal what was inside the cages. One held a beautiful macaw and the other a really fat and really ugly rat. I glanced at the rat and he stared back at me with wide, scared brown eyes.

"Where did you get these?" I asked and watched the two animals. The macaw was a beautiful red with rainbow colored wings and a white and black beak. He (or she) cleaned its wings and then let out a squawk.

"Ah, I thought you'd never ask," he beamed, "I have a room in the back filled with every kind of animal imaginable. Maybe not every type in the world, but enough."

The first thought that entered my mind was animal cruelty. Please don't tell me this guy tested his inventions on animals? Now he sounded as evil as the Mayor. But then he was a mad scientist, something that I was not. But that wasn't an excuse!

"Eh, for stuff." He waved me off and I frowned and my eyebrows creased. I watched Dr. Pinns take the rat and place him into the glass tank. The rat began to scrabble against the slippery walls of the glass tank. Then Dr. Pinns grabbed the parrot and stuffed him into the tank too. Then he shut the tank with a lid. I wondered what will the animals do for air, but Dr. Pinns grabbed a drill and drilled a couple of holes in the lid.

The parrot began to flap his wings wildly and a look of panic flashed through his eyes. I felt bad for the guy. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. The rat, meanwhile shrank back in the corner of the tank and covered his eyes with his paws.

"Here, Flint, you'll need these." Dr. Pinns handed me a pair of goggles and a pair of black rubber gloves. I slapped the gloves onto my hands and then put the goggles on. Dr. Pinns did the same.

"Okay, now can we start the mixing?" Dr. Pinns asked and took the 'laser' gun. He pointed the tip into the glass tank through one of the drilled holes. My eyes widened and I clasped my hands nervously in front of me.

"Y-yes, s-sir." I stammered and glanced again at the rat and macaw. Both animals sat still and stared at the 'laser' gun. Then Dr. Pinns pressed a green button on the gun and a low rumbling came from the gun. He stepped back and folded his arms behind his back. I gulped and watched a light blue ball of light form at the end of the gun tip. The macaw was now batting his wings desperately and the rat started the scrabble at the walls again.

"Will it hurt them?" I asked quietly as the gun rumbled louder.

"No. But the finished product will feel a slight ting for a few seconds after the mix." Dr. Pinns coughed and watched the action again. The tip of the gun now had a huge ball of light blue light and suddenly there was a loud _ZAP!_

The zap had caused the whole lab to shake slightly and both of us stepped back a few feet. The 'laser' gun also caused a lot of smoke to fill the lab up. Soon, the both of us began to wave our hands in the air to clear it off. The smoke in the tank cleared too and we both gasped.

"It's… It's…" Dr. Pinns stuttered and slowly the both of us came closer to the tank. A small creature sat in the tank. It had the body and head of a rat, but the wings belonged to the macaw and so did the beak. The wings were the same beautiful rainbow. When the creature sat up and blinked up at us, I saw wide confused eyes stare back at us.

"It's perfect." I grinned and watched the Ratbird crawl around its tank, squawking. Grinning, Dr. Pinns took the tank and carried across the room. I was relieved to see it hadn't become some vicious beast. Just a rat with wings and a beak. But it was rather large (well, the rat _was_ fat!)

"This Ratbird is a male," Dr. Pinns took the bird out and held it, "I'm gonna take some of its blood and clone this one to make the clone a female."

` "How will just blood and a clone make a female?" I asked. But Dr. Pinns held up his hand in a gesture that meant _please don't ask any questions._ I watched him take out a small needle and poked the Ratbird in the side. The Ratbird squawked in pain and then Dr. Pinns grabbed the Ratbird and ran off somewhere with the blood and the Ratbird.

"Wait, a minute. How will I tell everyone that this was my invention when Dr. Pinns was the one who made it with his laser gun?" I told myself. But then I hoped that maybe I could still do _something_.

"Here we go." Dr. Pinns came back carrying a cage full of ratbirds. He explained that there were both male and female in the cage. Then he handed me the cage.

"Since this is _your _invention, you will finish the invention. The liquids are on the shelf. I'll be across the room if you need me." He sighed and walked across the room t work on one of his inventions. Nodding to myself, I smiled to myself and knew exactly what to do.

These Ratbirds were brain-dead. The cloning and mixing of the rat and macaw had screwed up their minds. I knew this well. It was cloudy confusion of a brain that filled their heads. I knew exactly what to feed these guys.

"I will need Brahmi herbs for brain functioning and Turmeric to enhance the memory and prevent these guys from memory loss." I mumbled under my breath. I began to pull out a test tube and then I was a working whirlwind.

"Finding ingredients."

"Crumbling Herbs."

"Adding."

"Liquefying."

"Oops. Wrong ingredient."

"Thinking."

"Staring around room."

"Stirring."

"Pouring." I smiled and poured the dark green liquid into a small bowl. Then I carefully opened the cage door a bit and placed the bowl on the bottom of the cage. The Ratbirds attacked the bowl and all of them began to drink the liquid. I smiled. Now all that was left was to test them out.

xxx

I had asked Dr. Pinns to drive me to Main Street with the Ratbirds cage. He drove me there and I came out of the car, carrying the cage. People were starting to wake up and a few were walking around town. I took my phone out of pocket and speed-dialed dad.

"What is it son, it's 8 in the morning?" he asked from the other end as he picked up.

"Come to Main Street, I'm testing my new invention." I replied. I heard dad sighed from the other end, before a tired 'okay' came from his end. While I waited for dad to come, I found a big crate and positioned it on the spot where I was going to put the cage. I placed the cage on top of the crate.

Slowly a small crowd of people appeared and clustered at a good distance around me, forming a semi-circle. I saw a few familiar faces. The Mayor stood in the crowd with a smug frown on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. I hated him even more, because back in June after the rocket incident, he made me pay the $500.

I saw Earl with his wife and their 3 year old son; Cal. I saw some of dad's friends and even Brent. The football team had scattered during the summer. Denis went back to Rhode Island and the rest all moved elsewhere.

Then dad came. He looked sleepy, but when he saw me a smile spread on his face. Slowly, he set the camera up on its stand and pressed the timer button. Then he slowly stepped into the crowd. Before the timer went off, and the red light would go off, I watched the Ratbirds. They seemed much too hyper and wild. I remembered how I dropped some kind of weird ingredient into the solution.

Suddenly the red light on the camera beeped. I grinned at the camera.

"Ratbirds!" I motioned at the cage, "What's going on little guys?"

I popped the latch open and the cage exploded as the Ratbirds burst into the air. I stepped back and covered my head with my hands as the Ratbirds zipped over my head. I heard people scream and then slowly looked up with a look of panic on my face.

The crowd of people was scattering and the Ratbirds attacked the people. I saw my dad being chased by a couple as he ran passed the camera. I heard Earl yell out my name. Suddenly, one Ratbird slammed into the camera lens and I looked at it in horror.

"I just epically failed." I muttered to myself as I watched one Ratbird lift one small boy into the air and his mother chasing the bird. The ingredient I by accident dropped into the liquid obviously did something to them.


	23. Chapter 23: Ratbird Trouble

Well, Dr. Pinns had let me spend a day and night at home, before I had to go back to the USF. I had to watch the Ratbirds for a day. And the Ratbirds were going crazy. They would swoop down on people, steal things from people and would wake the whole town up early with their squawking. It was driving everyone nuts. Of course everyone constantly complained to me.

"Flint Lockwood! Get rid of them!" Earl once yelled at me when a pack of Ratbirds dived down at him and stole his police officer's hat. I just stood there watching as Earl jumped up and down to reach the Ratbirds and his hat. He chased them for hours, until he finally managed to get his hat and also managed to beat up a few Ratbirds.

"Earl, don't hit them, their population is already low!" I cried out when Earl wringed a Ratbird's neck. The Ratbird feel limp out his hand and lay motionless on the floor. Wincing, I hoped the Ratbirds will just breed faster. I couldn't take it. They were close to becoming extinct. If only people wouldn't hurt them.

"Well, then tell them not to touch people!"Earl slapped his cap on his head and stomped away. I watched him go and then glared at a couple of Ratbirds sitting around a garbage can. All watched me with mischievous expressions.

"Whatcha staring at?" I demanded and walked away too. Yes, they did add a bit of color to the town, and yes they woke people up (our town was much too sleepy), but it was too much. Marie should have requested something else. What exactly I don't know.

I walked down the empty street and decided to stop at dad's tackle shop. Normally I didn't go in there, but I didn't see dad too much these days. His shop was noisy when I stepped inside. Many people were buying sardines today. I seriously didn't know how people could eat them anymore. Personally I had enough of them, but it was the only thing to eat here.

"Hey, dad." I smiled and came up to his counter. He smiled when he saw me and rang up a lady's purchase. She left and I saw dad sigh. He didn't look to happy. I could tell what it was.

"Son about these Ratbirds," He scratched the back of his head, "You need to fish them out and get them into a bigger pond."

"Dad, is this another fishing metaphor? Because I don't know what you just said." I replied and tried to unscramble dad's metaphor. Something about a fish and a big pond. The rest was a big blur. He usually didn't give fishing metaphors too much—only when he was really worried and tried to explain something to me.

But dad hung his head and muttered a "never mind", before leaving to the back of his store. I watched him go and felt like I had just been slapped in the face. Dad just didn't understand me and I didn't understand him. I felt more and more distant with each year. If mom was here, she would have brought us closer.

"But she's not here." I murmured and left the store with my feet dragging behind me. Maybe Dr. Pinns would know what I dropped into the Ratbird's brain medicine. But if I told him, he'd yell at me for screwing everything up. Then he'd give me a 'C-' in his class, because he'll now I'll mess everything else up in his class and because he'll hate me. But if I don't say anything, nothing will go wrong. I've learned to keep my mouth shut.

_Say, what's that crowd doing there?_ I thought to myself and watched a tiny crowd of ten or so people form on the north side of Main Street. In Swallow Falls, when a crowd formed, it meant trouble. I joined the crowd and saw what was up.

A few Ratbirds were attacking other citizens and the others were trying to save the people being attacked. The crowd just watched intensely. The citizens being attacked were some I didn't know and then…

I swear I was grinning to myself. This just made my day. The Mayor was being attacked by a couple of Ratbirds. Brent was too. I grinned and innocently watched the scene. Even if the Mayor will probably make me pay some fine for having the Ratbirds, I didn't care. This was a show I didn't want to miss.

"STOP! GET THE HELL OFF ME!" The Mayor cried out as one Ratbird began to tug at his new suit and another was pecking at his feet. One was even tugging at his hair, trying to make a nest out of it.

On the other hand, Brent was half falling, half running away from one big fat Ratbird. I figured this must be the original Ratbird. Even if all the Ratbirds were a copy of him, he still seemed to be the fattest and the quickest too.

"SOMEONE PLEASE HEEEELP MEEEE!" he cried out when the Ratbird shoved him and he almost tripped. I found myself laughing along with a couple of other people. Of course there were also the people who were horrified by the scene. One lady was trying to snatch the fat Ratbird away from Brent, but the Ratbird bit her finger and she howled and held her finger in pain.

"GET THEM! GET THEM! CARRY THE MAYOR AWAY!" one girl was screaming in the crowd. Beside her was her little gang screaming along with her.

"RIP HIS SUIT UP!" a boy hollered louder than the girl. The girl shot him a nasty look and he just grinned. Then another girl standing nearby screamed louder than to the two off them.

"BITE HIS FACE UP! CARRY HIM AWAY AND DROP THE MAYOR INTO THE OCEAN! LET HIM SINK AND DIE AND PAINFUL DEATH!" The girl was jumping up and down yelling at the top of her lungs. Her two friends joined in and all began to scream loud and horrid commands to the Ratbirds.

Finally Earl came up behind the three teens and handcuffed them up. All three looked back at Earl, but he said he needed a word with them at police station. Before the three were shoved into the police cruiser, one of the girls screamed out three more words.

"GET THEM BAD!" she yelled out and Earl shoved her into the back seat. Instead of frowning and feeling bad about being arrested, the three were grinning from ear to ear. I watched the three and couldn't help but smiling. I love to yell something out, but the Mayor hated me enough. And so did Brent. If either one of them saw that I was yelling out things like that, Brent was chase me till I die and the Mayor would waste no time—he'd just throw me in jail or shoot me. But now I turned by attention to the scene again.

The Mayor's suit was ripped up bad and most of it was gone. All that was left were a few loose pieces on his shoulders and the back. The Ratbirds were trying to rip up his white button up shirt under, but he was running down the street screaming as he ran. I knew what he was going to do. He was going to run into the City Hall building and lock the doors, so the Ratbirds wouldn't make it inside.

"Someone please help me!" Brent was crying out. Instead of running, he was lying on the ground and covering his head with his arms. The Ratbirds still pecked at him. By now, people were running over to help. Some began to hit the Ratbirds with heavy objects. Slowly the Ratbirds began to scatter and fly off onto the rooftops.

Brent then got up and dusted himself off. Then he turned to glance around at the people surrounding him. All stared back at him with worried eyes. He smiled to show that he was okay, but his smile vanished when he saw me.

"Do something about this! It's one of YOUR stupid inventions, so deal with it! Make them stop attacking and hurting everyone!" Brent shouted at me and I came to stand out of the crowd. My lab coat billowed gently around me and I felt safer, as if my mom was nearby.

"Do you except everything to be perfect in life? Well not all things are perfect in life!" I shot back and I heard whispers pass from the crowd. Brent clenched his fists at his sides and I thought about him hitting me. Oooh that will be pretty bad. He had been the best tackler on the football team back in high school. Coach always praised him.

"Well these are animals! They can be dealt with easily!" Brent snarled at me and I sucked my breath in nervously when I heard the venom in his voice. He took a step forward. If he really did hit me, it was possible I could always duck or he could miss. But he was a level-headed guy. His fist would just make contact with my head and I'd be knocked out.

"What you expect me to whip them like they are in some circus? Or drug them up? That's animal cruelty, Brent if you didn't know!" I snapped and Brent took a menacing step forward. He swung his fist and I dodged his fist and moved away from him a few feet. The crowd gave a gasp all at the same time.

"I don't care what you do to them!" Brent retorted and walked over to me again. I glared at him and couldn't believe he didn't a care for animals.

"Well, then how am I supposed to know what to do with them?" I sneered and Brent gave another swing. This time he barely missed my shoulder.

"I don't give the crap, what you do with them! You deal with them or else!" Brent shouted and the crowd let out a big gasp. Some people began to pull him back, before he ended up beating me to death. On the other side of the crowd, other people began to pull me back. Both of us tried to break free from the strong grip of the crowd.

"Who do you think you are? You can't do anything to me!" I shouted and Brent tried once more to break away from the crowd. We both glared at each other and I was sure he would yell something back at me, but he kept quiet. I think all he wanted to do know was to beat me up. He wasn't going to leave without seeing me lying on the ground hurt. And I was going to try to avoid that.

"But I can." came a snap and the crowd turned to see Mayor Shelbourne entered the middle of the circle and looked from me to Brent. Then he glanced at me and his eyebrows raised a little. I looked down and noticed he had changed his suit.

"I'll deal with Flint myself." The Mayor told the crowd and grabbed my wrist tightly. The crowd stepped back and I saw Brent widen his eyes, when he saw the Mayor grab me. I don't know if I was in imagining it, but worry flashed by in Brent's eyes.

"Uh, sir, maybe I should just deal with him?" Brent asked weakly and I saw him gulp.

"No. I'll deal with him myself." The Mayor shook his head and the crowd parted to let us leave. As the Mayor pulled me after him, I half walked and half dragged myself after him. Fear was growing inside me. _Think about what happened to Marie. I don't know how she got that hurt, but I don't wanna know. I hope I'll make it out alive by the end of the day._ I thought worriedly to myself.

"Flint!" I heard a cry rise and I turned to see my dad running over. The Mayor stopped walking and I felt relieved that my dad had come.

"What happened to him?" dad asked the Mayor and folded his hands over his chest. Then the Mayor cleared his throat.

"I just need to talk to him about the Ratbirds. It has to be dealt with." The Mayor replied calmly. My dad was silent for a moment and I was worried. Who knew what was going on in my dad's head right now? He might let me go with the Mayor (hope not) or he might take me home and talk with me himself. But then dad raised his head higher and nodded. My jaw dropped open.

"That's fine. But he needs to be home for dinner. He leaves back to the USF tomorrow." My dad nodded and then left. The Mayor clenched his teeth and I grinned. Dinner was in an hour. The Mayor couldn't really do anything to me. Could he?

Dad left and the Mayor once again began to drag me after him. We reached the City Hall and I saw Earl's police cruiser parked in front of the police station across the street. Earl was pushing the three teens out of the cruiser and into the police station. But when the three saw the Mayor, all broke out into grins.

"I HOPE THE RATBIRDS GET YOU AGAIN!" the boy yelled across the street and the Mayor muttered something under his breath. I just chuckled quietly to myself and then the Mayor dragged me up the City Hall steps and into the building.

I was about to face my doom.


	24. Chapter 24: Thoughts

**Author's Note: There was an ambulance and firetruck parked outside our school today. Then a cop car was patrolling around the school. Last time the ambulance came, some girl had a seizure in the middle of class. This time none of us knew. Police officers walked in the hallways and so did the EMT guy. I know it has nothing to do with the chapter, but it was scary seeing a flashing ambulance in front of the school. What HAS to do with the chapter: there will be a flashback. It is in **_**Italics. **_

We entered Mayor Shelbourne's office and the Mayor seated me in a chair in front of his desk. He himself sat at the desk and I watched him pick a pen off the desk and he twirled it nervously in his fingers. I watched the pen. Suddenly, I threw the pen up in the air and caught it with a _SNAP!_ The pen had been crushed. I gulped and watched him look down on his notepad sitting on the desk in front of him.

"Why Ratbirds, Flint? Why'd you invent the Ratbirds?" he asked and reached for another pen. His eyes burned right through me and I looked down into my lap. The Mayor tapped his pen impatiently on the desk and I heard the clock _tic toc_ behind me. They room got quiet and I looked up. The Mayor was still watching me. It scared me, being watched like this.

"I just wanted to." I blinked at him and he slammed the pen on the table. I gulped.

"Liar." He hissed and got up. I watched him open one of his desk drawers and pull out a long, but small object. It was sharp. It was a dart. I watched him let his arm back and then swing it forward.

Suddenly everything was happening in slow motion. The dart was flying right at me. But not at my face, but my left ear. I watched in horror, but didn't have time to move in time. The dart grazed my ear and flew by me. I turned around and saw it make a bulls-eye on a dart board, on the back of the Mayor's door.

"Tell the truth." The Mayor snapped and my eye was twitching as I turned back to look at him. If I had sat a little more to the left, then the dart could have ripped my ear off. But he probably did that on purpose. But if he wanted the truth, so what I'll tell me. Marie was his daughter, anyway.

"Marie requested them." I raised my chin and the Mayor's face went pale. For a second, I actually thought he was going to burst into tears, but he straightened up and blew out a sigh.

"Which Marie?" he demanded and sat back down. His eyes were wide and he gripped the edge of the table, then he slowly leaned back in his seat.

"Your daughter. She's dead now." I replied coldly and he blinked at me. A worried look passed through his face and he looked over at me. I saw that he was either going to cry or collapse.

"Marie O-Oreant?" he stammered, "H-how do you know she's my d-daughter? Did she tell you?"

"No, I found out." I glared at him. He let go of the table and leaned back in seat. His face was pale. Then he sighed and straightened back up. Once again, he sat up straight and his face wasn't so pale anymore. Me? Well, I wasn't so scared of him anymore. It's not like he could pull a gun out and shoot me. Right?

"What else do you know about her?" he leaned forward and his voice made my blood run cold. It was the type of voice that had you running away. The threatening type. The same voice he used on me back in 2nd grade when mom came to my rescue. But mom wasn't coming to my rescue this time. I was on my own. But then, what DID I know about Marie?

"That her mother vanished one day. She might be dead." I shrugged. This made the Mayor angered enough. He got up and his chair scraped back. His brown eyes turned darker and his mouth curled into a snarl.

"She is not dead." He snapped at me and his eyes blazed a fire at me.

"Then what happened?" he asked and folded my arms simply over my chest.

"You change the subject too much, Flint Lockwood. We were talking about your Ratbirds." The Mayor replied and glowered at me.

"You're the one who asked why I invented them!" I cried and stood up too. My chair scraped back. The Mayor looked fiercely back at me.

"Sit. Down." He said through clenched teeth. I swear he looked ready to throttle me. But he didn't and wouldn't dare. I sat back down and the Mayor remained silent. I glanced around his desk. There were framed photographs all over the desk. They were half facing him, but they were tilted toward me too, so I saw them.

There was a picture of the young Mayor running with a small girl on his shoulders; shrieking happily. In the photo, there was also a dark haired woman running next to the Mayor. I watched the family. All looked happy. What could have gone wrong? But the Mayor himself seemed to be zoning off.

_The grass was soft under their feet. Rita ran alongside her husband and he was carrying Marie on his shoulders. Marie was shrieking happily as he ran faster and faster. Happiness surged through him. He loved his daughter more than anything. Well, except of course his wife. _

"_Albert, be careful! She could fall!" Rita yelled after her husband. He looked over his shoulder and shook his head at Rita._

"_Daddy, faster!" Marie held on to her dad's head. He smiled._

"_Sorry, Marie. If daddy goes even faster, we might fall." Albert Shelbourne grinned up at his daughter. But suddenly he didn't see where he was going. The hill had lurched down and when Albert turned around, he had tripped on a rock and Marie was slipping off his shoulders._

"_MARIE!" Albert screamed as Marie fell off and tumbled like a ragdoll down the hill. Rita was screaming too as she ran after Albert down the hill. They both reached the bottom of the hill, to find Marie staring up at the sky blankly and blood streaming from her nose and there were a few cuts on her arms and legs from the rocks on the hill. She had been knocked out. Albert gently lifted Marie off the ground. She lay limply in his arms. _

"_Albert, what the hell were you thinking? You almost killed her!" Rita yelled at her husband. Albert blinked at her and felt tears rise in his eyes. His wife had never yelled at him. And he never yelled at her. But he just carried his daughter out of the park. All the way to The Swallow Falls Medical Clinic. Rita followed and a stricken look passed through her eyes. _

"_Albert, you seriously have lost your mind. You can't take care of children." Rita replied in a cold, venomous voice. Albert turned to look at his wife. Tears were forming in his eyes. _

"_What kind of wife are YOU? I was just having fun with Marie." Albert whispered._

_Rita pursed her lips and followed her husband into the Emergency Room. For the rest of the day, Rita was cold to Albert. Even when they went to bed that night, Albert had tucked Marie in and then went into his room. Rita wasn't there. She was found sleeping on the couch._

_In the morning, Albert found the couch empty. But there was a note covered in blood. There was just one word on the bloody note: Insane. Either Rita killed herself and hid somewhere or she shot part of herself and fled._

"_But I never did anything to her." Albert whispered to himself. After that day, he had lost his mind. He was becoming a maniac, and couldn't get a job anywhere. That's when he was made Mayor of Swallow Falls._

"Sir, are you okay?" I asked and the Mayor snapped out of his flashback. He sat there dazed. Finally he got up and pointed at the door. I got up and left the room. What was that all about? He just started to daydream all of a sudden. What was he thinking about? Shrugging, I began to walk down the stairs and out of City Hall.

Outside, the Ratbirds were all sitting on the rooftops calmly. I watched them. They stared back at me. Then one Ratbird swooped down and landed on my shoulder. I waited for it to start scratching me, but it remained still and I waited.

"Please stop hurting people." I told the Ratbird. Even if he probably didn't understand me. The Ratbird squawked something and flew back onto the roof. Then I watched them, before I headed home.

Remember what I said, how crowds usually mean trouble? Well a couple of people were crowded around something—or someone. I walked right over and pushed my way through the crowd. The crowd seemed to be surrounding the newspaper boy. He was reading the newspaper out loud.

"What's going on?" I asked some random person next to me.

"The Sardine Factory is closing for good. Now Swallow Falls is stuck eating the sardines no one else wants." The person whispered back to me. The factory closed again? Again? I remember it closed after the fire, but then re-opened. Now it was closing again. Why, though? But the newspaper article on the closing of the factory was also causing uproar. When the newspaper boy finished reading and handed the newspaper out, people were yelling.

"Why close it? Many will lose their jobs like that! How will we pay for food?" someone cried out and waved the newspaper in the air.

"They should lower the price of sardines now!" another person shouted and shoved the other person away. The crowd was shouting at each other and the poor newspaper stood in the middle of it all, watching them. Finally he managed through slink through the crowd and deliver the rest of the paper. I wondered if the Mayor was shutting the factory down because of financial reasons.

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" someone yelled louder than anyone. The crowd instantly became quiet and parted. Brent had stepped into the middle of the crowd. He glared at the crowd and they all took nervous steps back. Nodding he began to pace back and forth.

"Look, I know it's bad. But we'll just have to live with it. We are one of the poorest countries in the world! Well not so poor, but we rank 12th place in the world!" Brent explained to the crowd.

"How are we supposed to live with it, if half of us will be homeless in less than a month?" a lady cried out.

"Find a better job!" Brent replied and the crowd gasped. The lady looked so offended that she stomped away. Half of the crowd left with her. I watched them go. Did Brent just realize what he had said? There were no jobs left! The factory was practically the only thing. When Brent realized that people were leaving, he was beginning to leave too. As he passed me, I heard him say:

"Glad you made it out alive." He muttered and began to slowly walk by.

"Glad that woman didn't start to cry after what you told her." I muttered back.

"What did you say?" Brent demanded, but when he turned around, I was already gone. Tomorrow, I'd be at the USF again. But then again, so will Brent. I imagined him chasing me all over campus and winced. There was no Mayor or parents or Coaches there to save me from his blow in the head.


	25. Chapter 25: Many good memories

**Author's Note: This is the 2****nd**** last Chapter! Plus mini flashback is in **_**italics**_**. **

After my 4 years at the USF, eventually Dr. Pinns found out about what I had done to the Ratbirds. It wasn't pretty. He yelled at me for an hour then chased me around the campus shooting his 'laser gun' at my feet. I kept jumping up, so the laser wouldn't touch my feet. Seriously that guy is on drugs or something. I ran so fast, I was sure he wouldn't catch me. Finally I had run to some door and opened it. When I locked it behind me, I realized it was the girl's bathroom.

I desperately tried to get out before one of the girls from one of the stalls came out. But the door wouldn't open. So I hid in one of the stalls and waited for the girls to leave. But THEY couldn't leave because I had locked the door. I think I broke the lock. The door was supposed to open! But I stood in the stall listening to the girls pounding on the doors.

"WHAT ASSHOLE LOCKED THE DOOR? THE LOCK GETS JAMMED!" one of the girls yelled at the rest of the girls in the room. There was a silence. Then they began to fight. I was standing in the stall staring desperately at the ceiling. I was that asshole. But if I didn't lock the door, Dr. Pinns would come in and then… Uh, I didn't want to think about it.

Suddenly I heard some girl kick my stall door.

"WHO'S THERE?" she shouted. I gulped and came out. The girls screamed. But the girl in front of me folded her arms over her chest. She raised an eyebrow and motioned at the door. I came over to it and wiggled the doorknob. It was still stuck.

"Who has a hair pin?" I asked the crowd of freaked out girls. They all stared at me as if I was insane. Then one undid her bun and her hair fell over her shoulders. She handed me the pin. I took it and easily picked the lock. When the door swung open, the girls all burst out. I walked out much slower and looked around.

"I never want you ruining inventions anymore." I heard a growl behind me and slowly I turned around to find Dr. Pinns standing there with the 'laser' gun pointing at me.

"Lower the gun. It was an accident!" I told him. He lowered the gun and glared at me. But then his expression changed. That was what scared me about him. His mood swings. He'd go from going on a rampage, to a good mood.

"Are you inventing anything now?" he asked suddenly.

"No why?" I blinked at him.

"Well for the next invention, think about something extraordinary. Something insane and impossible!" he waved his arms in the air. I thought a bit. Insane. Well all my previous inventions had been insane, so that wasn't a problem. Impossible? What did he mean by that? Slowly I ran my hand through my hair and thought harder. Flying fish? Moving rocks? I was desperate. Wait… I got it! What about food raining from the sky?

"What about food raining from the sky?" I grinned and my eyes glowed. Wouldn't it be awesome if Swallow Falls had food raining from it? We wouldn't have to eat sardines again.

"But I'm not helping out this time." Dr. Pinns shook his head.

"I don't need your help. You taught me lots. When I graduate tomorrow, I'll get started after that." I smiled and left back to my dorm. Dr. Pinns watched me go, before he left too. As I walked back to my dorm, my heart was spitting out joy. After tomorrow, no more school and the beginning of adulthood. Then I'd be classified as an official inventor/scientist. I smiled and entered the front door of our dorm building.

xxx

"Hello everyone! I'm Mr. Coult; the Chancellor of The University of Swallow Falls. Today we all gather for the Graduation of the Class of 2009! I want all students to know that all faculty and staff have been honored to teach and serve you for these tough four years. We now all wish you luck as you embark on your next journey. Many of you will proceed on your journey as doctors, teachers, scientists, engineers, authors, and many others. Some might move away to other countries. We will miss you dearly." Mr. Coult smiled at the audience.

Today had come soon enough. Much too soon. The graduates of 2009 were all standing in the tent next to the Ceremonial Tent. Out Graduation Ceremony took place outside in huge white tents. It reminded me of a wedding. We listened as the Chancellor went on with his speech.

"Well, these four years have been good." Brent turned to the people standing around him. He took his cap off and fanned his face as the hot June air blasted into the tent.

"My favorite memory was the sardine fight in our second year." Someone replied. We all laughed. Back in the second year, during one lunch break, we started a sardine fight. You couldn't exactly call it a food fight, because all we had was sardines. But the dining hall was a mess when we were done. Every student got detention for a week.

"My favorite memory was when we had that assembly in our third year, and the Mayor came." Someone else called out from the crowd. Instantly everyone began to laugh, except for Brent and a few other people.

That assembly was the funniest thing ever. It took place outside in the courtyard. We all assembled and the Mayor came to talk to us about a few things. But during his speech, a cluster of Ratbirds flew in and watched him from the rooftops. But then at one point the Mayor started making hand gestures to his speech and the Ratbirds flew down and attacked him.

What I remembered was him screaming: "FLINT LOCKWOOD!"

He had dragged me into his office again and made me HANDWASH all his stupid dark blue and black suits. And the whole time he watched me. At one point he 'by accident' dropped an open can of sardines into the washing basin. I swear I wanted to kill him. The oil from the sardines had made the suits greasy, so I had to wash them twice each!

But the moment he left the room to take an important phone call, I fled. No way was I wasting my day washing suits! NO WAY!

"My favorite memory was when the exams got lost in our third year!" Brent then grinned and everyone cheered.

That was the biggest prank pulled off in the history of the USF. The exams had gone 'lost'. After they had been printed, they were to be checked over by some group of teachers. But some of us stole them and ran them through the paper shredder. Then we burned the shredded pieces. The teachers never found them, so we just had a tiny test for each class.

"Students! Settle down! Listen for your names! After you receive your certificate, sit down in the front row seats!" some teacher poked her head into the tent, then left. We all hushed down and heard the first name being called.

One by one students had gone off. I was called, after a lot of waiting and slowly made my way out this tent. The Ceremonial Tent was huge! I stepped through the front flap and walked down the aisle between the audiences. When I reached the stage and climbed up the stage steps, I took a good, but short look at the audience. My dad sat with Steve.

I shook hands with the Chancellor and then got my certificate from the Head of Department.

"Good luck in the future, Mr. Lockwood." The Head of Department handed me my certificate and I left off stage with applause rippling through the crowd.

I smiled to myself as I left off the stage. I would need all the luck I could get.

"Brent McHale." The Dean called Brent's name. I watched Brent emerge from the tent flap and walk down the aisle with a confident look on his face.

I wondered what he'll be after university. So far he just advertised for the Mayor's Sardines, even if the factory had closed. Well the company's real name was Baby Brent Sardines (the name used to be Swallow Falls Sardines. The name changed when Brent's parents died and Brent started to live with the Mayor.)

"Maybe he'll be nicer to me after today." I muttered under my breath as Brent got his certificate and came to sit down beside me. We watched the rest of the graduation in silence and when the awards were being presented, we sat there patiently waiting for one of to receive an award.

But so far none of us seemed to get one. Brent was fuming, I meanwhile did mind.

"I deserve an award!" he muttered to me.

"For what?" I smirked. Brent glared at me, but I just smiled and leaned back in my seat. Brent couldn't beat me up here. I'd want to see him try. But then once I thought about it, Brent might get something. He had helped many big events happen. What he was known for among our graduating class was that he helped steal the exams that year we shredded them.

"I don't know! But I helped out a lot for these past four years!" he drummed his fingers on his knee and sighed as more and more people gone up to receive awards.

"Just because you helped out, doesn't mean you'll get an award. You helped out because you wanted to, not for some dumb award." I pointed out and Brent sank lower in his seat. Then he sat up and glared at me.

"Well, it's not like you'll get anything!" he sneered at me. I frowned and he laughed evilly. Then I realized he was right. I hated it when Brent was right and I was wrong. But at least that didn't happen too much.

"I'll be happy if YOU don't get anything! You've bullied me since day one in kindergarten!" I snapped at him and Brent went sour from that comment. He frowned and turned to look back on stage where some girl had already received at least three awards. She was getting her fourth one. But as soon as he frowned, he smiled.

"Nah. Day one, you tripped over my bucket in the sandbox. I never did anything. Day two, I stole your lunch." Brent smirked. I gritted my teeth and thought back to that day. But the bucket had been his right?

"But it was your bucket. You put it there on purpose, so I could trip!" I replied and Brent narrowed his eyes at me. Then he scratched his head and thought back. It was hard thinking back to kindergarten. That was ages ago. Almost 16 years ago…

_The September day had been warm and sunny. I was walking into the school yard with my brand new backpack slung over my shoulder. I hung it in the classroom and then ran outside to play with the other kids. I had been so excited to start kindergarten today that I woke up mom and dad at around 5 in the morning. _

_Now I had to make friends. There were kids playing everywhere. I walked around the yard and finally came over to a big sandbox. A small girl with wavy brown hair sat there making a sand castle. She smiled at me and I shyly smiled back._

"_Hi!" she beamed and then motioned at her castle, "Do you like it?"_

"_Yes!" I nodded and began to approach her, when one boy with blond hair moved his bucket in my way and I tripped over it. I screamed and fell over in the sand. The boy looked at me and raised an eyebrow. Then he began to laugh. I looked up and clutched my knee. It hurt._

"_What are you laughing at?" the girl stood up and came over to the boy. She planted her hands on her hips and glared at the boy. He stopped laughing and got up to face her._

"_So what if I am! You can't do anything to me! You're just a girl!" the boy smirked and glared back at the girl. But the girl suddenly looked she was about to cry. Instead, she brushed her tear away angrily and faced the boy again._

"_I'll tell on you! And my daddy will get you!" she snapped and crossed her hands over her chest. _

"_Oh, and who's your daddy?" the boy demanded sarcastically._

"_The Mayor of Swallow Falls!" the girl snapped and the boy's face went pale. The girl turned away and left the yard. Every kid in the yard had gone quiet. I watched the girl go and smiled. She seemed nice._

I smiled at the flashback and how clearly I had remembered it. I bet Brent didn't remember it that well. But now that I thought about it, why hadn't I remembered Marie from our childhood, when I waltzed with her that Valentine's Day in 10th grade?

"Flint Lockwood!"

Gasping, I realized my name was called so I could receive an award. Brent's face went pale as I stood up and walked up the stairs onto the stage. Never had I felt so much happiness inside me.


	26. Chapter 26: A new beginning begins

The award I had ended up receiving was for perseverance. I had thought that the awards were only for excelling in a class. But I was wrong. There were awards also for character traits showed a lot by a person. And I got perseverance. Really I didn't really see it, but at the same time I did. Through all my university years, I had made it through all the obstacles of giving up, and kept myself determined. I don't really know how teachers saw this, but I was pleased.

There was much still to go through as my years in life would go on and then there would be no award to get for that. I just had to remember to keep on going no matter what. That was most important.

When I walked off stage, my heart was bursting with different emotions. This was a day to never forget.

xxx

Whatever was coming up ahead, I had no clue about. Whatever came tomorrow, I had no clue about either. Each day would now become a surprise and I'd just have to experience it like the rest. But when I walked into the kitchen the next morning, dad was frying something on the frying pan over the stove.

"Dad what are you making?" I asked and sniffed the air and entered the kitchen. Today would be a good day. I wanted it to be a good one. I had put on my favorite orange t-shirt and my washed lab coat. My pants were ironed and my shoes… well they will always stay like that.

"Sit down! You'll see in a minute!" dad waved me away, before I could peek at what he was making. Sighing, I sat down and grabbed dad's morning newspaper. The front page showed a picture of Mayor Shelbourne waving excitedly into the camera. The article was even smaller than the picture. I sighed again and began to read.

_Swallow Falls will be experiencing something new and bold tomorrow at noon. Our own Mayor has been working on it for almost a week already and says it will really bring Swallow Falls to life again. "I really don't know why I hadn't come up with the idea earlier." Mayor Shelbourne told us last night. No one knows what it is and the Mayor simply refuses to give out any hints. _

I slammed the newspaper on the table and glared at the picture of the Mayor. Something new? What could he possibly be thinking of? I couldn't think of anything that could really bring Swallow Falls 'back to life', except that we get full shipments of normal food. Oh, and that reminded me!

"I have to get started on my food machine." I muttered to myself. Dad came up to me holding a plate and placed it in front of me. I glanced at it and blinked. It was a bunch of fried sardines. Slowly, I grabbed my fork and stabbed one. Then I brought it to my mouth and took a bite. The outside was crunchy and so was most of the inside. But when I felt something squishy in my mouth, I hurled to the bathroom.

"Dad! I don't think you fully cooked it!" I called from the bathroom and then re-entered the kitchen. Dad blinked at me and then took a bite of it. He swallowed and shrugged.

"It tastes fine to me," he ate another one and I sat down at the table.

"Dad, I can't be drinking coffee for breakfast for the rest of my life." I sighed when dad placed a cup of coffee in front of me. Dad slowly nodded. _This is why I have to get started on the food machine! Then we won't have to be worried about breakfast anymore._ I thought to myself and went over to our kitchen cupboards. The only good thing to eat there was a box of stale sardine crackers.

"I'm going to my lab." I told dad and grabbed the box of crackers. He nodded and began to read the newspaper. When I exited from the back door, I heard Steve shouting something to me from my lab window.

"I'M COMING! CALM DOWN!" I shouted and was about to open the front door to my lab elevator entrance, when I felt like I was being watched. I spun around to find Cal and his friends watching me over the fence. Cal was Earl's son and was already teasing me about being weird and having a lab. I ignored him and opened the elevator door.

Up in my lab, Steve was jumping around hungrily. Groaning, I realized I forgot to buy more of Steve's food. Instead I ate three crackers from the box I brought and gave the rest of the box to Steve.

"Steve!" he grinned and dived into the box. Smiling, I patted him on the head and then went to search for a piece of paper. I was time I drew a sketch for the food machine I had in mind. But I had no paper anywhere. Not in my printer, not in any of my notebooks (all were used and filled up) and not in my emergency stack.

"Steve, did I really use up all the paper, or did you steal it?" I asked the monkey. He climbed out of box and widened his eyes innocently at me. Then he smiled and ran across the room. I watched him jump onto my desktop and rummage through my pencil case. He immerged with a stack of yellow post-it notes.

"Paper!" Steve handed me the small stack. Laughing, I took it and went over to my desk. I found a pencil and quickly began my image of the machine. What about the name? Food Machine? That sounded so boring and not catchy. All my inventions were named after what they really were.

"Steve what's a good name for a food machine?" I asked him. He looked up from his box of crackers.

"Gummybears!" Steve grinned wildly.

"I have no gummybears!" I chuckled and wondered if maybe the word 'food' made him think of gummybears. And it had been a long time since he last tried them.

"No?" Steve blinked his innocent orange eyes at me. I shook my head and he dived back into the box. I thought harder. I wanted it to be an awesome name. First I had figure out how the machine would work. I couldn't just press some button and _POOF!_ I had food. There had to be a way. Then I thought about how astronauts always took those small tablets with them to space. If you dripped some water on the tablet, it would turn into a type of food. Different tablets for different types of food choices. That was using water to make food.

"But I could use microwave radiation along with the water…" I thought for a second. My brain was slowly bringing a cloud full of ideas and everything was now making sense. The food would be easy. The machine would be hard to build, but I had to try.

"I have a name! Steve, I have a name for it!" I grinned and quickly began to draw the machine on the post-it.

"I will call it the Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator!" I grinned and Steve poked his head out of the box again when he heard the long name. His eyebrows furrowed and he tried to say the name. I laughed and then grabbed the post-it note and went to tack it onto my wall along with all my other posters.

I'll build it later today. Just not now. I skipped out of my lab and left Steve eating the crackers. I was in the best mood ever. By tomorrow my invention will ready and Swallow Falls will have become alive once again. I bet my invention will be better than whatever the Mayor had in mind.

Forget about that! I ran into the garage and grabbed my bike, which I hardly ever rode. I had to start on my invention now, but I still needed some more power cords, for when I had to connect it. So I pedaled as fast as I could to Main Street.

"FLINT LOCKWOOD!" I heard Earl yell out behind me. But I didn't stop. I kept on riding my bike on. Even when I heard the sirens of Earl's police cruiser behind me, I didn't stop. I kept on going until I reached the hardware store. Believe or not, but the hardware store had more power cords. I paid for them and raced out of the store.

Earl waited outside store with his hands on his hips.

"Flint Lockwood! I yelled out to you! I even chased you in my cruiser!" he shouted at me.

"What for?" I demanded and he glared at me.

"Speeding!" he yelled and waved a speeding ticket at me. I gasped and my eyes widened.

"SPEEDING? ON A BIKE? Earl, I wasn't driving a car!" I cried out and he just laughed.

"Ha! Just teasing you!" he cracked up laughing and slapped my hard on the back. I almost fell over. Geez, I actually thought the ticket was for real. Nodding, I climbed back onto my bike and raced home. Earl didn't even get to say another word to me. I was already gone.

I knew that I still had the whole day to build the food machine, but I didn't know how long it'll take me! It might take the whole day! I wanted to start now and make sure it was finished for tomorrow. When I got home, I threw my bike onto our lawn and ran around the house to the backyard. As I ran to my lab, I pushed the elevator door open and climbed into the elevator. For some reason the elevator seemed to be going slower than usual. Or maybe I was imaging it, since I was in such a hurry.

I made it to lab main floor and taking a deep breath walked toward the wall with my post-it. I was ready to begin. Yes, I was even ready to fail. But I didn't want to fail. I passed Steve; who had abandoned the box of crackers and was now trying to pry open a can of sardines. I turned to the wall and grabbed the post-it. Heroically, I held it up. Then I shook it out of me and pointed at Steve.

"Steve! My best friend and trusted colleague. Can I count on your help?" I looked at him. Steve looked up at me and blinked. Then he held up the sardine can he was holding.

"Can!" he replied.

"I knew I could!" I grinned and instantly turned into the miniature inventing tornado I always turned into whenever inventing something. I didn't know what I would accomplish with this invention. I didn't know what dad would think of it. I didn't know what the town would think of it, but I hoped they liked it.

Well, I fulfilled your request and had finished telling my childhood story. It was hard at some parts to tell it, but easier at some. I had experienced the good and the bad in my childhood. Both had taught me lessons. I had gone through two tragic deaths, two graduations and many mistakes. But all had passed and now none of it mattered.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go work on my next invention. Let's hope that one's not an epic fail like the FLDSMDFR.

**Author's Note: Ah… All done. That was a fun fanfic to write, but it had to come to an end. I hope everyone reading it enjoyed it. Now I'm off to write my last CWACOM fanfic. I've already started… **


End file.
